Legendary English duo Tears For Fears are releasing their first new album in over seven years on 25 February 2022. The Tipping Point finds the genre-hopping childhood friends from Bath back, having ridden the troubled waters of management issues that previously stifled their creative talents.
The previous management seemed “dedicated to the idea of not making a new album,” Roland Orzabal said. “And, if it had to be done,” Curt Smith said, “it had to be written almost by committee with some of today’s hit songwriters.”
Orzabal and Smith attempted the “committee” approach. “Eventually, that pressure and tension divided us,” Orzabal says, “not just from our management, but from one another too.” The pair had reached a professional tipping point.
For some, the inclusion of Tears For Fears in the pages of MetalTalk may seem somewhat strange. “Tears For Fears are a pop/prog band, in my opinion,” MetalTalk’s Robert Adams says. “Just have a listen to the wonderful reissue of their 1989 album The Seeds Of Love, which has a glorious 5.1 mix done by Porcupine Tree main man Steven Wilson, and you will find that they are far from your usual run of the mill pop artists.”
Meeting with new management, the duo played what Orzabal describes as “the five tracks we could both agree on, and they raved over them. So 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. We felt like we had somebody on our side.”
The title track has been released, inspired by a personal tipping point in Orzabal’s own life. The song captures the grief of watching someone you love lose their long-standing battle with disease, having experienced this with the death of his first wife Caroline in 2017, his own serious health scare in 2018, and situations caused by Covid-19.
Tears For Fears music has been covered by the likes of Lorde, Adam Lambert to Disturbed, and after an extended studio break, the pair are refreshed. “To be in this position was a big breath of fresh air for us,” Orzabal says, “after dealing with being pushed in various directions not only by our past management but also a record company we were signed to. It was the first time in a long time that we decided we have to do this.”
There is more to Tears For Fears than just listening to their chart hit three-minute success songs. The song Head Over Heels, the third single from their breakthrough album Songs From The Big Chair, includes an extended part on the album called Broken, which gave early indications of their pop/prog leanings.
“In my experience, I have found that the rock and Metal community are the most musically open-minded people you could ever meet,” MetalTalk’s Robert Adams said, immersing himself in the new album. “We all have our favourite artists. For me, it’s Devin Townsend, Iron Maiden, Rammstein, Rush and Biffy Clyro. None of these artists sounds similar to each other.
“Tears For Fears are musically savvy and lyrically clever, and you’ll find prog elements sprinkled throughout all of their releases. Steven Wilson called The Seeds Of Love a pop/prog masterpiece. I understand that there may be more than a few raised eyebrows at Tears For Fears inclusion within the pages of MetalTalk, but I wholeheartedly stand by their inclusion.”
Tears For Fears play US dates through May/June 2022. “We couldn’t be more excited to start playing concerts again,” Curt Smith says. “We’ve missed seeing our friends on the road around the world and the energy of performing live.”
“The Tipping Point has been a long time in the making,” Roland Orzabal says, “and we are looking forward to playing our favourites from the new album as well as our classics from throughout the years.”
The Tipping Point will be released 25 February 2022 through Concord Records. The album can be pre-ordered from found.ee/tearsforfears_thetippingpoint
TEARS FOR FEARS – 2022 US TOUR DATES
Friday, May 20, 2022 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
Saturday, May 21, 2022 – Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, OH
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory – Dallas, TX
Friday, May 27, 2022 – Ak-Chin Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ
Sunday, May 29, 2022 – Levitt Pavilion – Denver, CO
Wednesday, June 01, 2022 – Concord Pavilion – Concord, CA
Thursday, June 02, 2022 – Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA
Saturday, June 04, 2022 – The Forum – Los Angeles, CA
Sunday, June 05, 2022 – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre – San Diego, CA
Thursday, June 09, 2022 – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre – West Palm Beach, FL
Friday, June 10, 2022 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater – Tampa, FL
Sunday, June 12, 2022 – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre – Atlanta, GA
Monday, June 13, 2022 – PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, NC
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Detroit, MI
Thursday, June 16, 2022 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL
Friday, June 17, 2022 – Ruoff Music Center – Indianapolis, IN
Sunday, June 19, 2022 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD
Tuesday, June 21, 2022 – TD Pavilion at The Mann – Philadelphia, PA
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 – Leader Bank Pavilion – Boston, MA
Friday, June 24, 2022 – P.N.C. Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ
Saturday, June 25, 2022 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY
