Songs for a Nervous Planet
arrived two years after
Tears for Fears
' 2022 comeback album,
The Tipping Point
, serving as a sort of hybrid studio follow-up and companion live album. It is essentially an EP of four new songs followed by 18 live tracks recorded during a Franklin, Tennessee date on the band's 2023 Tipping Point tour. The studio cuts find bandmates
Roland Orzabal
and
Curt Smith
in a similar contemporary mode as on their previous release, melding classic elements of their core sound with modern pop flourishes. Advance single "The Girl That I Call Home" is a pleasantly low-key track with a sentimental tone, while the radiant "Emily Said" caters to
TFF
's psych and prog rock tendencies. The dreamy "Astronaut" finds the balance between these two poles and leads into the live portion of the album. Amid
Tipping Point
highlights like "No Small Thing," "Break the Man," and "My Demons" are career standouts like "Sowing the Seeds of the Love," "Mad World," "Pale Shelter," and a poignant version of "Woman in Chains." Over the years,
expanded well beyond their origins as a synth pop duo and their live show reflects this. On-stage they sound rich, dynamic, and detailed with a classy touring band that brings the entire catalog, new and old, to life. ~ Timothy Monger