The first track from the yearlong covers project by *Smallpox*, an aggressive version of Tears For Fears’ “Mad World,” is out today. The track was written by Roland Orzabal and originally appears on the 1983 Tears For Fears album _The Hurting_. You probably know it best because of the Michael Andrews/Gary Jules cover that appeared on the soundtrack to the film _Donnie Darko_ in 2001.

“I have to make a confession. I really didn’t like Tears For Fears in the 80s,” says guitarist/vocalist Daniel Smith. “Or to be more precise, I _pretended_ that I didn’t like Tears For Fears. Back then, there was a lot of stuff I wouldn’t allow myself to get into. Howard Jones, The Cure, Duran Duran, Icehouse, and the list goes on. Apparently, being a narrow-minded teenage metalhead can have its drawbacks.”

“Anyway, fast forward to 2004, Tears for Fears releases _Everybody Loves a Happy Ending_, and I, now being an open-minded musician liberated from the rules of metaldom, instantly fall in love with it. Soon after, I end up picking up their back catalog, catching them live in Montclair, and realizing two very important things: 1) Tears for Fears is one of my top ten favorite bands, and 2) I can be a real jackass sometimes.”

“And while I’d love to say that this was the first time that this had ever happened to me, I’d be totally fucking lying.”

“Mad World” is out today, and we’re offering it for free download “here”:https://dromedaryrecords.bandcamp.com/track/mad-world. Of course you can purchase _The Covers Album_ in its entirety right now for $18, which will give you instant access to each song as we upload them biweekly over the course of 2021. Or, if you’re more of a “dip your toes in the water” kind of person, you can purchase the ones you like for a dollar each, as we release them.