Review - Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob

If you’re familiar with Tegan and Sara, forget everything you know. While the duo haven’t forgotten how to write a song or sing, they have switched genres, and not very subtly.

The twin sisters have built a name as one of Canada’s most popular (and yet still underground) musical exports. The two were folk heros; two women with guitars and beautifully written choruses? Lillith Fair (you know, when it was a thing) must have LOVED these ladies.

‘Heartthrob’, the band’s seventh album, sees the sisters trying something new. Superproducer Greg Kurstin was brought in to help make their poppiest record yet, and he succeeded well beyond what many of us could have expected. While Kurstin has surely made the bulk of his wallet from producing and writing hits for the likes of Ke$ha and Kelly Clarkson, he is in tune with it truly means to be pop, not just Top 40.

Changing things up is always dangerous for a longstanding band, as they run the risk of pissing off their fans. I have a feeling that ‘Heartthrob’ will only bring T&S more fame, as it still feels like them, even if it doesn’t necessarily sound like them. The music isn’t necessarily dancefloor-ready, but it ain’t getting played in the coffeehouse either. The entire album feels amplified until the girls start singing and bring everything down. Also, this isn’t your typical pop either – while each song musically is similar to the next, it is hard to place the entire album next to any other and say “there – that’s what it sounds like”.

Somehow the mellow indie charm of Tegan and Sara translates well into other genres. Maybe they’ll put out a rap album next?

Listen to: “Closer”, “I’m Not Your Hero”, the rest of the CD