Seventeen Seconds

I've never enjoyed a Cure album, even though I'd like to because Robert Smith is an excellent grumpy goth who hates Morrissey.

I feel the sudden urge to go buy some eyeliner and black clothes.

This was the perfect album to listen to while sad. Really haunting, ahead of its time. A Forest is a great single.

Very average. I know this band is capable of doing more, and this album wasn’t their best

Short and sweet. Not as psychedelic and enveloping as Disintegration, but this is really great too. The jangly, lightly distorted style is something I can always get down with. I'll definitely be returning to a lot on here. Favorite tracks: In Your House, Secret, A Forest, Play for Today. Album art: Honestly perfect. Washed out, can't quite tell what I'm looking at. Fits the music extremely well. 4/5

1980 is a shocking year for the Cure to have released what seems to be the predecessor to many modern post-rock albums.

I have always had a soft spot for The Cure, but without ever listening to a full album the jury was still out on them as a complete package (from my point of view). If this album is a taste of things to come though...I’m in all the way! I absolutely love this offering. So many tracks to get the juices flowing...so to speak. To me it encompasses everything a ‘new wave’ album should be. It’s beautifully hypnotic and electronically brilliant. Man...did I say I love this album? Sounds of eighties alt pop rock ring truer than ever and you can absolutely lose yourself in these emotion filled tracks. They flow so seamlessly together, it’s like they were always meant to be. You’re truely missing out if you never at least listen to this album once in your lifetime. 5 Stars!!

This album is longer than 17 seconds! This is the most blatant case of fraudulent advertising since my suit against the film, The Never-Ending Story. The first example of the moody goth-rock that they became renowned for, and they nailed it. The fact they could pivot from this to the Lovecats in 3 years, then go back to this sound as one of the biggest bands in the world is astounding.

I don't think I've ever listented to a The Cure album straight through before today. And the first time I did, I was like, that was sort of okay, I liked it a little. And then an hour later I had to put it on again because I couldn't get the sounds out of my head. It's not that they're lyrically poppy and ear-worms or anything like that, but I think I found my next rainy day album. You know the one you want to put on when it's cold and rainy outside and you don't have to do anythingand you don't WANT to be motivated to do anything. That's what this album is.

Spooky/atmospheric/gothic/moody

Great blend of gothic and electronic melancholy. The minimalist structure combined with the reverb turned up to 11 creates an intense, melodic atmosphere in the recording. It accompanies Robert Smith’s voice brilliantly. This album really shows the start of The Cure’s rise to legendary status.

Vintage Cure is always great.

Lonely, desolate, gloomy, depressing and dark. Like watching the windshields wipe away the rain during a long car ride. A few good songs, but mostly an experience, like a soundtrack to a monochrome movie

This would be 5 stars just for “A Forest” and “At Night” but the rest of it is great too

Devoid of color yet still expressive, this album is a satisfying listen from rock's moodier, darker side.

I’m about to type some words I never thought I would: I really liked this record by The Cure. It’s a sparse, minimal, lo-fi record that isn’t weighed to down by ornate and dreary production or by being too mawkish. Some of the songs almost seemed [gasp] fun? This is a really great record. I’m honestly shocked I liked a Cure record this much…historically, that has not been my experience with Robert Smith & company. Who knows, if they had stuck with this sound, I might be a huge Cure fan - It feels more like a record by The Clean or The Chills than what we know The Cure to be. Fuck me, what a surprise.

Wow… This one captures the essense of early 80s post-punk/Indierock. Epic! Once I discovered this album some time back in 82-83 it was on a regular spin for the next 8-10 years during my high school years and some years after. Even today I listen to it once in a while… Up there with the top 3-5 best albums by the Cure

Such a non descript album cover but quinessewntially everything innocent and charming about the cure before they got massive.

Loved the “gloomscapes” (Wikipedia comes through again). The Forest is still always so good! Def the background music to dark winter dinner, book reading, and tea sipping. I listened to this three times in a row so I’m going to have to give it five stars.

Loved rediscovering this classic, as The Cure started their rise to power. Filled with brooding melodies over sparse warm electronic drums, menacing guitar leads and tasteful bass lines. Highly recommended and has aged very well indeed. Top tracks: Play for a day, At night, A Forest

This album is dark, dreary, yet has a quality to it that makes it sound very much alive. The beats are driving and prominent, and the slight echo gives a sense of space and atmosphere. The Cure are incredibly influential and it is apparent on their second album just how important they are

Very cohesive new wave/post-punk album with great atmosphere, showing the beginnings of gothic rock. 9/10

"Play for Today" is an instant post pop punk classic for me. "In Your House" and "A Forest" are good too. Title track is fantastic. A lot of chorus on the guitars. Great 8th note bass lines throughout, makes you wanna dance. Constant melody on the guitar underscored by the vocal melodies. I'm very happy I found this album.

Eerie, melodic, transcendent. I love this album in so many ways.

The most goth I’ve ever heard

I know this is going to be a mix of goth and new wave, and I'm kinda off new wave but like a bit of goth. I know I've heard "A Forest" before but can't remember anything about it beyond thinking "yep, sounds like the cure" so here goes... Ok this is pretty fuckin cool. I guess this is early goth at its best? I know it pre-dates anything else I've heard in the genre. Best comparison I can think of is the first Ministry album, but that sounds terrible by comparison. I can hear how the idea of "goth" hasn't separated from punk/new wave just yet (particularly in the singing and drums) but the guitars have that gloomy chorus/reverb/flanger quality to them that new wave never really does, and it's all... mopey, even when there's a kinda "dancey" new wave beat going on. Apart from that and a bit of a pop punk tinge to the singing there's really nothing upbeat about it. It's maybe a bit cheesy in 2021, but I can hear where tons of bands (particularly 80s rock/punk) got their chord progressions and clean guitar tones from. There's not as much singing as I expected, lots of extended instrumental sections or songs where there are only like 2 lines of lyrics, and unless he really sings a chorus it's hard to hear the words, not quite a mumble but more of a whine, and whoever produced it didn't isolate the vocal frequencies very well. This is kinda strange as I always figured Smith was a "frontman's frontman" and would've wanted to be more prominent, although maybe that came later. Honestly, this has inspired me to pick up my guitar and start writing goth melodies haha. This is a solid 4, maybe even a 5.

you naughty little boy

I'm nearing the end of this challenge, and it makes my little black heart happy to see The Cure on here again. While not my favorite album of their goth years (that goes to Pornography) this album deserves praise. Those droning and moody guitars along with Smith's sad wails makes for a fantasticly dark 80s album.

No esperaba que me gustara la verdad, pero supero mis expectativas, en general muy bien solo que la voz del vocalista a veces me molesta Rating:8,5

4 compared to the last week this shit is fire

The music is pretty calm and laid back, yet dark and creepy at the same time. I was already familar with A Forest (which is my favourite Cure song before getting this, but after listening I've gained new interest for the album and its cuts including Secrets and Play For Today. Have to also appreciate Robert Smith's guitar and vocals on this as it's not flashy and tame, yet intriguing. The drumming and the bass fit the same quota too. The only real complaint I have is with the keyboards, which for the most part feel like background noise to the main action. It should've either been turned up and played more of a prominent role, or abandoned all together. Also the instrumental tracks were pretty boring.

The forest is so good

Super goth and dark, but also reminded me of modern dream-pop-y bands with the chorus tone on the guitar. Yes, I realize the Cure came first, but that's just what came to mind. A Forest is really good.

Call me a goth, love this, especially A Forest

Edgar Allen Poe ahh music

I have tried to like the cure but outside of their hits I just can't get with it. There were bits of the album I appreciated but overall not for me. Maybe I am too stressed at the min lol

Love The Cure, but this one is too broody for me. Didn’t have a single song I could say I actually liked, unfortunately.

Boring.. Just boring..

Creepy. Depressing. Flat. Dull. Probably won't ever listen to it again

Finding their way into the dense fog!

my lovely the cure album. admiration from st.petersburg

The Cure was really the first band that I heard that wasn't something that would be played on the radio. My cousin had the album Head On The Door, but I quickly sought out other records and one of them was, of course, Seventeen Seconds. The opening strains of “A Forest” are, of course, incredibly iconic and, for me, capture that first ability to to consider music that, although clearly still commercially viable in many ways, was different. It was just so fundamentally different from the pop music that was on the charts at the time. When I first heard it it seemed like a bit of a secret between myself and my cousin; this music that my parents didn't understand by a band whose lead singer clearly looked like something my parents couldn't understand. His voice and the sound of The Cure didn't make sense to them. I think that was the key point: that The Cure represented to me something that I loved but that my parents, as much as they wanted to, they couldn't understand why I would want to listen to this music or why this music, and music in general, was becoming incredibly important to me as a young teenager. It was perhaps the first salvo, the first big step in the creation of my sense of self.

a fucking classic

So I had a very strange experience listening to this album. I know for a fact that I’ve never listened to The Cure before, mainly because I have a family member who loves them but I never took the time to listen to them. Frankly it’s because they are a teenage girl and the image of the band is clearly angsty, so that kinda put me off for a long time. But this album taught me once again that you should never judge a book by its pre-teen cover. This album is musically just butter slowly melting on a burner barely turned on. It moody and emotional but it’s so smooth and effortless sounding. This is kinda cliche but it sounds like beings ready to take a nap and a nice heavy dose of rain starts coming in, but instead of being at home in your bed, you are in an open well lit abandoned screw factory with lots of gothic light pillars coming in from the windows. Honestly this album is so easy to get lost in. The vocals might not be for everyone but that’s just personal preference. A lot of albums I feel tend to lose me in the interludes but all the interludes meshed so perfectly with the music so well and was still distinct enough to keep my attention which is really saying something. The most shocking thing about this album is the fact that it is actually a no skip album.

Loved this crud and now that I think of it, it appears I am mounting my proper Cure moment. Groovy goth experimentation over steady post punk drum beats. Damn, is early cure real hip hop? Who can really truly say for sure?

What's not to like? "A Forest" is my favourite, such a great song.

People may be shocked to learn that I am in fact quite partial to this. Who knew?

Seventeen Seconds is the moment The Cure fully stepped into their signature sound—cool, distant, and steeped in atmosphere. Gone is the punk energy of their debut, replaced with spacious arrangements, icy guitar lines, and a ghostly mood that seeps into every track. It’s minimalist but never dull, with each song feeling like a fogged-up window into Robert Smith’s quietly unraveling world. The restraint in the playing gives the album its power—nothing feels rushed, nothing feels unnecessary. The standout here is A Forest, a hypnotic, eerie track that captures the album’s tone perfectly. But the strength of Seventeen Seconds lies in its consistency—songs like M, Play for Today, and the title track don’t just support the mood, they deepen it. The production is stark and cold, but that’s exactly what makes it work. It’s a masterclass in doing more with less, creating emotional depth through simple repetition and carefully chosen textures. While later Cure albums would go on to be more layered and expansive, there’s something special about the purity of this one. It’s a mood piece, and if you're in the right headspace, it's completely absorbing. Seventeen Seconds isn’t just a great early post-punk record—it’s a blueprint for countless bands that followed. Quietly brilliant, deeply haunting, and endlessly replayable. Again and again and again and again...

One of the greatest albums from the 1980s or any decade for that matter. This is prime CURE and The Cure at their best was (and still is in 2025) among the greatest bands of all time up there with The Beatles, The Who, The Jam, The Rolling Stones and The Small Faces.

Classic

One of my favorites

Smiled when this popped up. I cherish this record. Not my favourite Cure album but I’m sure that’ll be in here too. And it was a delight to hear this again

Not much to say except it's freaking flawless. Know it, love it, will listen again.

I only ever hear the one song off of the album but the whole thing is a great album.

Me gustó demasiado, fue un muy buen álbum y muy fan

Better than I remember! Thanks for the nudge back to some really good music.

the less there is of smith the better turns out the album. sorry not sorry. super like the instrumental part.

A Forest is just a fucking banger. Rest of the album kind of fades away in comparison, but having such a strong song more than makes up for that, especially when it’s such a short album. (On a re-listen, I changed this from 4 to a 5)

Masterpiece

Great album. Had some certified bangers. Can definitely hear how they influenced the pixies, nirvana and others and I can see why they are some people’s favorite band

Atmospheric, moody. Listened to it 4 times in a day, so that makes this a5 star. Even though it didn't have any catchy songs which is what i usually want in an album, it just hangs together so well and is such a good listen.

Great discovery. Used to find The Cure just ok, but this one was great !!

I remember watching MTV one day and seeing the video for In Between Days and it blew my mind. I have been a fan of The Cure since. This album conjures an atmosphere of an evening walk down a misty English lane surrounded by trees. I also love this one for all the amazing bass lines, especially in Play For Today. Perfection in 35 minutes of music.

En lytteopplevelse faktisk

Ain't nothing wrong with the Cure!

Insane how I used to hate this album as a child cause of the intro and the instrumental songs in the middle but today I heard this with older and wiser ears. This is now on my top 80s album list. Simply a masterpiece that I misjudged as a middle school kid

Þetta er svo drungalegt en samt notalegt. Hugsa bara um Twin Peaks. Jafnvel uppáhalds Cure platan mín. Svo gott heildarverk.

Sturlað góð plata.

One of my favourite cure albums

love it dearly

Yrs more like it quality noise from the orginal goth fathers. A forest stands the test of time and is still a banger!

One of quite a few Cure albums that just work despite all the hype and expectations. This is what I think of when I think about the Cure, though it's astonishing to remember their diversity of sounds in those first few years.

I'm very fucking depressed! I've always loved The Cure. They are dark, introspective and whiney so they tick everything on my checklist. Although I really like this album, it wouldn't be my top pick from the discography to include on this list. A Forest is a banger, but this is much more of the brooding Robert Smith than the arguably poppier and more popular version we get post Pornography. Still, great stuff. I'm nostalgic for stuff I wasn't around for. If you enjoyed this, check out the Greatest Hits Album.

This album was so beautiful. Glad to see more of them on this list!

Nicee

First album of the "trilogy". Before *Seventeen Seconds*, The Cure already managed to leave a huge imprint with the "Killing An Arab" / "Boys Don't Cry" / "10:15 Saturday Night" / *Three Imaginary Boys* early era. But their true legend started there, with that second album digging one single gloomy groove until it lives rent-free in your soul. You can't beat "Play For Today", "In Your House" and most specifically "A Forest". Except on subsequent albums, that is. 5 stars, what else? Number of albums left to review: around a hundred, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 442 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 262 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 321

10 stars, if I could. Brilliant album!

The Cure never really clicked with me outside of a few of their more popular hits, but now it really does. Really love the dark mood it sets and the more barebones approach to instrumentation. Highlights for me are Play For Today, A Forest, M and At Night. The entire album really is great though.

Seventeen Seconds probably falls somewhere in the middle of where I rank the 14 albums by The Cure (that's probably heretical to most Cureheads). That's not because it's not a fantastic album; it's because they just have so many great ones. That said, this album is still a solid 4.75 for me. It has so many classic Cure songs, including "A Forest" and "Play for Today," which are both absolute bangers. It also has "M," "Secrets," "At Night" — there's really not a bad song on here. The storytelling in songs like "A Forest," "At Night," and "Seventeen Seconds" is top notch, which is even more incredible considering how young they were when they released this album. Simon's bass lines are iconic and infectious. Some of Robert's most enduring lyrics are on this album. And human metronome Lol Tolhurst was really the perfect drummer for the band at this time. Seventeen Seconds creates an amazing and cohesive soundscape and is one of the albums that wrote the blueprint for goth music. So many goth bands have blatantly copied "A Forest" over the years to the point where it's almost become a parody (Lebanon Hanover's "Gallowdance" is a pretty tongue-in-cheek nod to the song). If I had to lodge a couple tiny complaints about the album, they're that a) I wish there were fewer instrumental pieces, though they're still pretty great and work well to set the mood, and b) because the album really goes for that cohesive soundscape, there are a few songs that sound pretty similar to each other. Again, not a real negative, because they're still great. Whether I prefer cohesive, gloomy Cure or eclectic Cure really just depends on my mood on any given day. So, I'll give the album a 5 on here, and I really do love it. It's just that their catalogue is so insanely great that it's difficult to pick a "best" one — and as good as this one is, knowing that what came after it is even better just barely knocks it out of perfect for me. 4.75/5

One of the most iconic bands, one of the most iconic sounds in Rock history with one of their best albums.

Oh my god. This album created the best and most consistent atmosphere on an album I've ever seen. Down to the album art the music is just so solemn and frosty. Also every song was beautiful in its own way, the shorter ambient and electronic tracks added so much depth as well. The highlight is The Cure's trademark guitar and Smith's wailing vocals. I liked how on some of the tracks the vocals were pulled back, giving more attention to the instruments. Jesus. Fav Songs: Play for Today, A Forest, At Night, 17 Seconds

The Cure are consistently great. I enjoy how stripped back this one is, and how much of it is instrumental. It really elevates the creepy atmosphere they were going for here.

This is definitely one of my favorite albums by The Cure because it highlights their early exploration of post-punk and new wave sounds. At the same time, it captures their transition into a more goth rock direction. The album itself is pretty mellow and laid-back, with a strong atmospheric and ambient quality. The production enhances this soundscape, especially with those echo-laden guitar lines that really set the tone.

Not my thing but I really liked it! Great new wave album!!

Great!

The most OG of goth vibes on this one.

Geiles Album. Kann ich heute noch gut hören, wobei Boys don't cry mein absoluter Favorit bleibt.

Never really enjoyed The Cure before, so had a sinking feeling when this came up, but it was actually surprisingly good. Crisp sounds, moody, I'll be adding this to my list of albums requiring a re-listen for sure.

Listened to this 3 times. Fabulous album with great vocals from Robert Smith. The music is amazing. Always loved the cure. Xx

Never listened to The Cure before but I really enjoyed this album. Wil definitely be listening to them more.

Great to hear this all the way through. Having loved A Forest since hearing it on John Peel some time in 1981, I don't know why I've never delved into the full album. I absolutely love the sound: sparse, just enough pedal to make it ethereal, Robert's faraway vocal relatively low in the mix. (And none of the annoying high note plinky-plonk bass that crept into later, "jollier" singles.) Really gorgeous.

Tercer día de octubre con uno de mis favoritos de The Cure. Seguramente a todos nos pasa que nuestras preferencias van mutando: con ellos fue con su primer trabajo, luego con "Disintegration" y hace un tiempo fue redescubrir "Seventeen seconds": disco oscuro y por momentos, bailable, que empezaba a sentar las bases para el sonido gótico de la banda. ¿Será que el crecer va de la mano de aferrarse a sonidos más sólidos y, por ende, más oscuros? ¿O simplemente siempre me sentí atraído por todo ello y lo acepto? Hasta el lunes, que mañana estamos de cumpleaños.

Do you like songs that give you a dark vibe? The Cure has the perfect album for you! Its called Seventeen Seconds. I like how they used the bass and guitar using lower notes but kept the drums kinda up-beat. Their instruments sound great when played together. They also don't have many lyrics but maybe others songs have more since YouTube only lets me hear 2 song \"Secrets\" and \"A forest\". I love how the guitar in ''A forest\" is in the background at the beginning but later on it becomes more clear. Over all I love this album and I would 100% Recommend it.

Goth, new wave classic.

Absolutely superb. Love the distinctive sound of Robert Smith's vocals which depicts the sound of The Cure. So ahead of its time and still very relevant today. There are echoes of brilliant bands such as Joy Division and New Order threaded throughout the album. Didn't want it to end. It's a favourite on my play list.

Interesting! This is only The Cure’s second album and already they’ve moved on from their early punky sound, introducing electronic drums and getting almost ambient on some tracks (“Three” has always been one of my favourites). As a Cure fan it’s not really an album I think about a lot but it gets five stars because it’s got “A Forest” on it. Call me biased!

Gostei demais em

I really love the choices they made in this album. I was familiar with more of the pop parts of the Cure, and this one defied my expectations!

Assombramento gótico com delicadeza. A banda sempre esteve a frente do seu tempo.

awaomee