Tears for Fears return with ‘The Tipping Point’, their first album in 17 years
It's set to arrive in February next year
By Joe Goggins
Tears for Fears have announced their first new album in 17 years, ‘The Tipping Point’.
The Bath duo, comprised of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, released the typically anthemic title track today (October 7), with an accompanying music video, directed by Matt Mahurin.
It marks their first new material since ‘I Love You But I’m Lost’ and ‘Stay’, both of which appeared on their ‘Rule the World’ greatest hits collection in 2017.
Arriving on February 25th, 2022 via Concord Records, the album can be pre-ordered or pre-saved here.
The album was written with long-time Charlton Pettus, with Sacha Skarbek and Florian Reutter also chipping in on writing and production duties. A change in management helped provide the impetus for finishing the album, according to Orzabal.
“Suddenly, for the first time in a long time, we felt like we had someone in our corner who understood what we were trying to do,” he explained.
“We felt like we had somebody on our side. It was the first time in a long time that we decided – we have to do this.”
Formed in 1980 as Graduate, Tears for Fears became one of that decade’s biggest synth-pop outfits, scoring UK number ones with their albums ‘The Hurting’ and ‘The Seeds of Love’.
Their last full-length was 2004’s ‘Everybody Loves a Happy Ending’, but in announcing ‘The Tipping Point’, Smith noted that the pair’s bond has endured.
Smith explained: “When you’ve known each other as long as we have, and have worked together as long as we have, there’s a bond there that becomes familial. So, it’s different from a friendship.”
Orzabal agreed: “We’ve got this balance, this push-me-pull-you thing – and it works really well.”
Track listing for ‘The Tipping Point’:
1. ‘No Small Thing’
2. ‘The Tipping Point’
3. ‘Long, Long, Long Time’
4. ‘Break the Man’
5. ‘My Demons’
6. ‘Rivers of Mercy’
7. ‘Please Be Happy’
8. ‘Master Plan’
9. ‘End of Night’
10. ‘Stay’