Tears For Fears announce first album in 17 years, ‘The Tipping Point

Tears For Fears have announced their first album in 17 years, ‘The Tipping Point’.

The duo – comprised of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith – last released a full-length record in 2004 with ‘Everybody Loves A Happy Ending’. They shared two new tracks – ‘I Love You But I’m Lost’ and ‘Stay’ – in 2017 as part of their ‘Rule The World’ greatest hits LP.

Today (October 7) the group have returned with news of their long-awaited seventh album, which is set to arrive on February 25, 2022 via Concord Records. You can pre-order/pre-save it here.

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The announcement comes with the project’s title track and its accompanying official video – tune in below.

“Before everything went so right with this album, everything first had to go wrong, it took years, but something happens when we put our heads together,” Orzabal explained of Tears For Fears’ decision to return.

“We’ve got this balance, this push-me-pull-you thing – and it works really well.”

Smith added: “If that balance doesn’t work on a Tears For Fears album, the whole thing just doesn’t work. To put it in simple terms, a Tears For Fears record and what people perceive to be the sound of Tears For Fears – is the stuff we can both agree on.”

The band teamed up with longtime collaborator Charlton Pettus as well as producers and songwriters Sacha Skarbek and Florian Reutter on ‘The Tipping Point’, which came about after a switch in management.

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Tears For Fears new album
Tears For Fears – ‘The Tipping Point’ official artwork. CREDIT: Press

“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,” Orzabal said. “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.”

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.

“And it’s different from a marriage. It’s literally like that’s your brother. It’s the kind of bond that you can’t really break. It can fall apart at times. You separate for periods, which I also think is healthy, really. But in the end, we always seem to find each other again.”

The tracklist for ‘The Tipping Point’ is as follows:

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’

Deluxe CD bonus track

1. ‘Secret Location’

Super deluxe edition CD bonus tracks

1. ‘Let It All Evolve’
2. ‘Secret Location’
3. ‘The Shame’