When The Cure dropped Wish in April 1992, they were riding an absolute peak of global stardom. Following up a dark, sprawling masterpiece like Disintegration was never going to be an easy task, but instead of trying to recreate that heavy gloom, Robert Smith and the band leaned into something far more dynamic. This was the moment they managed to conquer the mainstream charts completely, scoring a UK number one album while brilliantly balancing their alternative cult identity with massive, unashamed stadium-sized pop success.

The overall sound is a spectacular cocktail of swirling guitars and dense, textured soundscapes that spans an incredible emotional range. It retains plenty of their trademark melancholic moodiness, but injects a bright, driving energy heavily influenced by the booming shoegaze and alternative rock scenes of the early nineties. The production is wonderfully lush and multi-layered, moving seamlessly from heavy, distorted guitar work to light, shimmering jangle pop. It captures a band firing on all cylinders, managing to feel deeply intimate one moment and completely euphoric the next.

What gives the record such fantastic replay value is how it effortlessly shifts between these sonic extremes. You get the pure, sun-drenched joy of Friday I'm in love and the breezy romance of High, which are offset by the colossal, tempestuous guitar swirl of From the edge of the deep green sea. Then there is the delicate, heartbreaking beauty of A letter to Elise, showing their absolute mastery over the slow-burn alternative ballad. Decades later, it remains an incredibly rewarding and diverse listen, making it a perfect record to pull out and completely lose yourself in.