Here Come the Tears is the only studio album by English rock band the Tears. It was released on 6 June 2005 on Independiente. Frontman Brett Anderson and guitarist Bernard Butler had found success together earlier in Suede, with Butler leaving that band after just two albums. Suede's career was on pause when the two reunited for this project. In January 2004, the pair had begun recording music together in secrecy; they decided to form the Tears with bassist Nathan Fisher, drummer Makoto Sakamoto and keyboardist Will Foster. The band had accumulated 18 demos by June 2004, after which, they started recording the album. Sessions were held across various studios with Butler as the producer and finished by October 2004. Here Come the Tears is a pop album that evokes the work of David Bowie, and was compared to Suede's second studio album Dog Man Star (1994).
Here Come the Tears received generally favourable reviews from critics, many of whom highlight the Dog Man Star comparison; some praised Anderson's lyrics, while others thought they were inferior to his lyrics with Suede. The album reached number 15 in the UK Albums Chart as the singles, "Refugees" and "Lovers" peaked at numbers nine and 24, respectively. The Tears began performing publicly in December 2004, which was followed by the album's lead single "Refugees" in April 2005. They went on a tour of the UK leading up to the album's release, which was promoted with the second single "Lovers" in June 2005. The band performed at the T in the Park and Reading and Leeds Festivals, prior to a tour of mainland Europe. "Autograph" was released as the album's third and final single in October 2005.
Background and recording
Vocalist Brett Anderson and guitarist Bernard Butler were previously members of the band Suede, who rose to prominence during the 1990s. Partway through the making of their second studio album Dog Man Star (1994), Butler left; he was replaced by Richard Oakes. Butler continued as a session musician, playing with the likes of Aimee Mann and Tim Booth of James, and formed the project McAlmont & Butler with David McAlmont for The Sound Of... McAlmont & Butler (1995). Butler went on to release two solo albums, People Move On (1998) and Friends and Lovers for Creation Records, which had folded by 2000. He reunited with McAlmont for Bring It Back (2002).
While this was occurring, Suede continued releasing albums through to A New Morning (2002); it was unsuccessful commercially, with the band taking an indefinite hiatus by the end of 2003. A few days after Suede's final show in December 2003, Butler was contacted by Anderson, marking the first time the pair spoke in nine years. In January 2004, it was reported that Anderson and Butler had recorded music together. Anderson would visit Butler at his house to write new material. The pair decided to form the Tears, which also featured bassist Nathan Fisher, drummer Makoto Sakamoto and keyboardist Will Foster. By June 2004, the band made demos of 18 songs for possible inclusion on their upcoming debut album.
Butler produced the sessions with Anderson acting as the executive producer; recording was held at RAK Studios, 2KHz, Alsatian Nation, West Heath Yard and Miloco Studios. Butler and Nick Terry served as engineers at Alsatian Nation, while Sebastian Lewsley did the same at West Heath Yard. They were assisted by Helen Atkinson and Richard Woodcraft at RAK, Adrian Breakspear at 2KHz, Joe Hirst and Jimmy Robertson at Miloco, and Jackson Gold at West Heath Yard. Steve Price recorded the orchestra at Angel Studios. Recording wrapped up in October 2004. All of the songs, bar "The Asylum", were mixed at The Strongroom with assistance from Tom Paterson; "The Asylum" was mixed at Miloco.