Long-time fans of Tears for Fears know that the path has never been easy for the duo who comprise the band due to several factors, including the fractious relationship between the two principles. When indications that the pair were once again going to release fresh material started to emerge, many were leery of those pronouncements based on past disappointments. The long wait is over as Tears for Fears releases their seventh studio album, The Tipping Point.

An album inspired by current events and personal losses. The offering displays that the duo continues to have something important to say in their own unique way.
For the uninitiated, Tears for Fears in the late ’80s was epic; they sold 30 million copies over three blockbuster albums, The Hurting, Songs from the Big Chair and Sowing the Seeds of Love. At the turn of the new decade, a sea change in popular musical direction occurred, while significant acrimony developed between band founders Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, causing the band to implode overnight seemingly.

Smith quit the band, and Tears for Fears became a solo effort for Orzabal. Decades passed, and in 2004 the band attempted a reboot with the album, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending. The album would bring the principles back together, but the album gathered little notice. It would take another decade and a half to see their newest effort final reach the launching pad.
Even with the reunion, the creation of The Tipping Point had a rocky start.

The two went through a long list of today’s hit-making producers who attempted to recreate Tears for Fears’ past glories, leaving the duo with a lot of snappy lifeless songs. The songs lacked what the band thought should be artistry, vitality or deep meaning. Smith walked away feeling the project was nothing he wanted to continue at one point. Later after putting aside all the outside forces, the two rediscovered a working relationship that went back to basics. They began again simply in a room with acoustic guitars in hand.