Beyond selling 30 million albums worldwide, performing to countless sold out audiences, and winning various awards, the DNA of Tears For Fears — Roland Orzabal [vocals, guitar, keyboards] and Curt Smith [vocals, bass, keyboards] — remains embedded within three generations of artists.  Quietly casting a shadow over rock, hip-hop, electronic dance music, indie, and beyond, their music has been sampled by Kanye West, The Weeknd, David Guetta, Drake, and more, while getting covered by Lorde, Adam Lambert, Ally Brooke Hernandez, Gary Jules, and Disturbed, to name a few. Meanwhile, classic songs figure prominently everywhere from The Wire and Donnie Darko to Straight Outta Compton and Mr. Robot.

Representing an inimitable intersection of pop palatability, clever and cognizant lyricism, guitar bombast, and new wave innovation, their catalog spans a string of classic album, namely the gold-certified debut The Hurting [1983], quintuple-platinum BRIT Award-winning Songs from the Big Chair [1985], and Seeds of Love [1989].  The latter proved to be Roland and Curt’s last collaboration together until Everybody Loves A Happy Ending in 2004, which rekindled the creative fire between them.

Not only does Rule The World feature classics such as “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” “Shout,” “Mad World,” “Head Over Heels,” “Woman In Chains,” and more, but it also boasts the first original music from the duo since 2004. This year, they recorded two new tracks—“I Love You But I’m Lost” and “Stay”—for inclusion on the collection. The single “I Love You But I’m Lost” bristles with the enigmatic energy of classic Tears For Fears, while the subtle acoustic “Stay” ranks among their most emotional fare. Both fit comfortably alongside the anthems that have defined three generations.