Tears For Fears - The Tipping Point

[Grover]

Tears For Fears, one of the other iconic bands from the magical Eighties just released a new single called ‘The Tipping Point’ and I was pleasantly surprised… I feel excited when I listen to this new song and watch the video clip . (And the feeling of excitement is something I haven’t felt in a long time with PSB in their Stuart Price produced era… with a few great exceptions here and there. But that’s another discussion).

Somehow the chorus going ‘You know that I can't love you more….’ reminds me a bit of PSB. Neil could have written/sung it like that.

It’s about the death of Roland Orzabal’s wife:
——
So who’s that ghost knocking at my door? You know that I can’t love you more,” Orzabal and bandmate Curt Smith sing over a web of electronics, synths and echoing guitars. “What’s that shape climbing over my wall? / You know that I can’t love you more.”

“It came at a time when my wife was very ill,” Orzabal told Rolling Stone. “I was watching her become a ghost of her former self. So the song’s narrator is in a hospital ward looking at people about to cross the threshold that we call death.”
——

Great music, great lyrics, even a very nice clip. Check it out:

https://youtu.be/yUp-ujO979U

[Eleven]

Great post, not my cup of tea

[DopeFiend]

The drums alone negate it from sounding like PSB.
Is that really what Tears For Fears look like now? Jesus Christ they aged quick.
I can't take it seriously for some reason, look at these people. Surely that's not the original lineup.

Neil could have written/sung it like that.

The sound of the vocals, well to me it just has that weird produced sound that doesn't sound pleasant and I can just tell can't be replicated live. Sounds so doctored and false.
Nothing like how Neil sings with the long sustained notes, sophisticated accent and inflection, gentle androgynistic tones.
I mean this Tears For Fears WE 'AN LETTEM OU' is nothing like PSB would sing. It's more an american country type song.
I'm vaguely offended this is even being compared to PSB.

I love Everybody Wants To Rule The World, but part of that is the synths. Give us synthesizers. This Tears For Fears song is like PSB's worst Release-era songs. Not what they're successful for.
Though to me it's a little interesting the bassline for this track is the same if not similar to Everybody Wants. But it's clearly not appealing to the same vein overall, in my view at least. (The high-low switching vocals is missing in conjunction to the soothing and funky synths)

How dare you make me listen to rock music, I'm listening to 80's house and some old school disco. Hearing this is a bit disgusting to my ears.

Anyway if we want to compare 80's acts' new efforts to PSB. How about Flock Of Seagulls? They are doing newwave songs with strings.
https://youtu.be/IPO9-9WtTes
https://youtu.be/GNmppnfgBB0

As I'm writing that, I realise A Flock Of Seagull's new album has been released!
I haven't heard it yet. Will give it a listen over the weekend.
At least something useful came from this thread.
(I did enjoy Ascension, which like their 2021 album is re-recordings of their hits but with orchestral elements added)

[Disco.]

Move to the Orher Forum.

[G_Goalden]

I've always had a soft spot for TFF - particular the first three albums which do have some similarities both musically and thematically with PSB.

I always got the impression that Tears for Fears got comfortable in the mid-90's and developed other priorities. They certainly dropped off my radar. The looked like they were 'coming back' a few years ago but the death of Roland's wife and Covid have slowed this down somewhat.

I saw them on their most recent tour in an arena and to be honest I was very disappointed. They played it like a mid-aged rock band and for me it was a bit gig-by-numbers. They undoubtedly have some great songs in their back catalogue - personally I don't mind the guitars and the production - but each to their own.