Even in their heyday, Tears For Fears was never huge with teenyboppers, their posters didn’t adorn every teenager’s bedroom wall. Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal’s faces weren’t slapped onto your besties’ t-shirts. But, for a chunk of the ‘80s, the British band enjoyed a run of songs that was nothing short of epic.
With those early numbers “Change” and “Mad World,” and later, the Songs From the Big Chair album with its massive singles “Shout,” “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Head Over Heels,” Tears for Fears had absolutely nothing to fear. Oasis songwriter Noel Gallagher would later declare them the Beatles of the ‘80s.
Smith and Orzabal never disbanded, never had a falling out. Life got in the way, and life brought them together once more. The fruits of their reunion has arrived in the form of The Tipping Point, their first studio album since 2004.
Released by Concord Records, the LP is said to be a reflection of the duo’s personal and professional “tipping points.”
Spanning 10 tracks (the deluxe edition CD has three more), The Tipping Point includes the previously-released title track, inspired by Orzabal’s own life and struggles with grief and the loss of a loved one.
The pop rock outfit will hit the road for a trans-Atlantic tour in support, kicking off May 20 at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, OH.
But first, a warm up: the Brits stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for a performance of album track “Break The Man,” and their stone-cold classic “Everybody Wants to Rule The World.”
Watch below, and stream The Tipping Point.