Noel Gallagher has teased Robert Smith’s Pretty Boy remix, claiming it “sounds exactly like The Cure”.
The original song was released in October and will be featured on Gallagher’s fourth High Flying Birds album, Council Skies. In an interview with BBC Radio Wales, Gallagher described his idea to get Robert Smith involved as “just one of those crazy ideas that one tends to have in the middle of the night, thinking, ‘I wonder if Robert Smith [would] get involved”.
“I asked if he’d get involved and sent him the track and he loved it. He did the remix. And I loved it. I’d never met him before. I’d never conversed with him.”
Gallagher first revealed The Cure’s influence on Pretty Boy back in 2020. “I’ve written a tune that sounds very much like The Cure,” he said. “I didn’t even have to dial back the copyright; it just sounds like The Cure”. This influence didn’t go unnoticed by fans, and many compared the song to some of The Cure’s early singles.
However, not everyone was pleased with the comparison. In a January interview for Record Collector, Paul Weller, Gallagher’s friend and collaborator, expressed his dislike for The Cure, calling Smith a “fucking fat cunt”.
Gallagher, however, has said he “was always a fan of The Cure” and praised the band after attending their London concert last month. “They were amazing,” he said, “I like the more modern stuff as well. It’s just kind of dark and moody. But his voice is just far out. He sounds as good now as he did 30 years ago. Amazing.”
The Pretty Boy remix will be featured on the deluxe edition of High Flying Birds album Council Skies, which is due to be released on June 2nd. It will also feature live recordings, instrumentals and remixes by other artists.