The duo has released nine studio albums so far: Under Feet Like Ours (1999), This Business of Art (2000), If It Was You (2002), So Jealous (2004), The Con (2007), Sainthood (2009), Heartthrob (2013), Love You to Death (2016) and Hey, I'm Just Like You (2019). They also issued the live album/DVD Get Along in 2011 and their memoir High School in 2019.
Tegan and Sara initially played as Plunk in 1995, and lacked a drummer and bass player. In 1997, they used their school’s recording studio to record two demo albums: Who's in Your Band? and Play Day.
In 1998, they made an early breakthrough by winning Garage Warz Battle of the Bands, a local music competition in Calgary. Since then, the two have toured with Neil Young, Rufus Wainwright, Kaki King, The Pretenders, Ben Folds, The Killers, Rachael Cantu, Vivek Shraya, Cake, Gogol Bordello, Hot Hot Heat, Ryan Adams, Veda Hille, Little Birdy, Iron On, Little Brazil, Bryan Adams, and Weezer, and they performed a show at Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair.
They are signed to Neil Young's Vapor Records in Canada, and to Sire in the United States as their previous label, Sanctuary Records, is no longer releasing new music in the United States.
When they were competing in Garage Warz, they were known as "Sara and Tegan" because that is how their mother registered them on the competition forms. Their first album, Under Feet Like Ours, was initially released under the name "Sara and Tegan". While both twins are similarly involved in vocals and playing instruments, the singing of the lead melody usually goes to whichever twin wrote the particular song. The two hardly sang together in the recordings of their early records, but they started to more on their later records and when live.
On their 2004 album, So Jealous, the two lend their unusual voices and simple guitar riffs to power pop ballads about love and emotional, haunting songs such as "Walking With a Ghost".
The fifth album, The Con, released July 24, 2007, showed a shift in style towards darker tunes compared to the relatively upbeat indie pop of So Jealous. The singles "Back in Your Head", "The Con" and "Call It Off" were issued to support the album. The twins toured the album for over a year and a half.
Their sixth studio album, entitled Sainthood, was released on October 27th, 2009, to generally positive reviews. The album included the singles "Hell", "Alligator", "On Directing" and "Northshore".
Tegan and Sara also collaborated with many other artists, including Tiësto for the single "Feel It in My Bones" (from the album Kaleidoscope, 2009), and Morgan Page for the single "Body Work" (from the album In the Air, 2012).
"Closer", the first single from their seventh album was produced by Californian pop producer Greg Kurstin. The song was made available for download September 25, 2012. On 29 January 2013, Tegan and Sara released their seventh studio album, Heartthrob.
The duo's eighth studio album, titled Love You To Death, was released on 3 June 2016. The lead single Boyfriend was released on 8 April. Greg Kurstin returned as the producer.
On October 20, 2017, the duo released a compilation album titled Tegan and Sara Present the Con X: Covers, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of The Con. The compilation contains covers of each song performed by various artists, as well as a previously unreleased demo “Miami Still”, performed by the duo. The proceeds of the record and subsequent tour benefitted the Tegan and Sara Foundation, which raises money for self-identified women and girls in the LGBTQ community.
The duo released their memoir, High School, on 27 September 2019. It recounts their childhood and adolescence growing up in Alberta in the 1990s as well as their musical beginnings. The book debuted at number fifteen on The New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction best-sellers list. Along with the book, Tegan and Sara's released their ninth studio album, Hey, I'm Just Like You, which contains re-recordings of unreleased demo songs that the duo recorded as teenagers. The record was produced by Alex Hope and is the first Tegan and Sara record produced, performed, engineered, mixed, and mastered by a team of all women. The band embarked on a US, Canada and UK tour to promote the book and album, playing mostly acoustically, reading excerpts from the book and incorporating old video footage from the band's teenage years.
The current live touring band members include Ted Gowans (guitar; 2004-present), Jasper Leak (bass; 2012-present), John Spence (keyboards; 2012-present), and Adam Christgau (drums; 2013-present). Former live touring band members include Johnny Andrews (drums; 2006-2010), Shaun Huberts (bass; 2007-2010), Dan Kelly (bass; 2007), Chris Carlson (bass; 2001-2005), Rob Chursinoff (drums; 2001-2005) and Jason McGerr (drums; 2012).
Official site: http://www.teganandsara.com
Freedom
Tegan and Sara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let them drag you
Straight across and tell me
Have we found perfection
Are we finally lost and
I'm staring from a distance
Why don't you come get a closer look
I can guarantee that
Ain't ever quite as good as
So they're looking for a new face
With a voice to go along
I can tell you right now
That ain't my style
I don't do no sing alongs
With my freedom from
The mighty sky to the ground
She said you've got the freedom, baby
Walk out if they drag you down
Standin' on the edge of a crisis
We decide to raise our own voices
Consider that the sounds is our own
And the fact our feet grow up from the ground
This is where I want to be
This is who I want to be
So they get my voice
But they can they can never get my soul
Yes there's a million things about me
You will never know
Like they caught me on video
And yeah, they caught me on radio, yeah
They caught me on video radio
Stereo freedom from
The mighty sky to the ground
She said you've got the freedom to walk out
If you drag me down
You've got the freedom, baby, to walk out
If they drag you down
If they drag you
If they drag you
Walk out
The lyrics of Tegan and Sara's song "Freedom" convey a message of empowerment, urging the listener to assert their individuality, resist conformity and not let others drag them down. The metaphorical reference to the "Shoulders of perfection" can be interpreted as a societal pressure to conform to the idealized standards that lead to a loss of individuality. The singer questions whether such conformity constitutes perfection or if it ultimately leads to feeling lost. However, they remain in the margins, observing and waiting for someone to come closer and discover the beauty of their unique style that differs from popular culture's sing-along ideal.
The phrase "standin' on the edge of a crisis" can be viewed as the final destination of conformism where one is stuck in a crisis of their own identity. The singer assures that they have found their identity, who they want to be, and the ground that their feet grow from. They urge the listener to raise their own voice against societal pressure, asserting that while their voice may be caught on video or radio, it can never take away their soul. The line "Stereo freedom from the mighty sky to the ground" emphasizes the vastness of their freedom, extending from the vastness of the sky to the grounding of their self-awareness.
Line by Line Meaning
Shoulders of perfection
Referring to societal pressures to conform and be perfect
Let them drag you
Succumbing to societal pressure to conform and be perfect
Straight across and tell me
Questioning if perfection has been achieved
Have we found perfection
Continuing to question if perfection has been achieved
Are we finally lost
Feeling lost within one's own desire for perfection and conformity
And I'm staring from a distance
Observing the situation from afar
Why don't you come get a closer look
Encouraging the listener to examine the situation more closely
I can guarantee that
Expressing confidence in what is to follow
Lickin' the package
Indicating a temporary pleasure that ultimately does not satisfy
Ain't ever quite as good as
Emphasizing that the temporary pleasure is not as satisfying as true freedom
So they're looking for a new face
Referencing the music industry's tendency to look for new talent to sell to consumers
With a voice to go along
Emphasizing the importance of having a unique voice in the industry
I can tell you right now
Making a confident statement
That ain't my style
Indicating that the artist will not compromise their style or values for industry success
I don't do no sing alongs
Expressing distaste for forced group participation
With my freedom from
Referencing personal freedom
The mighty sky to the ground
Emphasizing the range of personal freedom
She said you've got the freedom, baby
Referring to a supportive figure who encourages personal freedom
Walk out if they drag you down
Encouraging the listener to leave toxic situations and maintain personal freedom
Standin' on the edge of a crisis
Describing a difficult situation
We decide to raise our own voices
Deciding to use one's voice rather than succumbing to societal pressure
Consider that the sounds is our own
Emphasizing the importance of personal expression
And the fact our feet grow up from the ground
Emphasizing the grounded nature of personal values
This is where I want to be
Expressing contentment in one's current situation
This is who I want to be
Expressing contentment in one's identity
So they get my voice
Acknowledging the industry's desire for unique voices
But they can they can never get my soul
Indicating that personal values cannot be bought or sold
Yes there's a million things about me
Acknowledging the complexity of personal identity
You will never know
Indicating that personal identity is private and cannot be fully understood by outsiders
Like they caught me on video
Referencing the industry's desire to capture personal identity for public consumption
And yeah, they caught me on radio, yeah
Referencing the industry's desire to capture personal identity for public consumption
They caught me on video radio
Referencing the industry's desire to capture personal identity for public consumption
Stereo freedom from
Referencing personal freedom
She said you've got the freedom to walk out
Encouraging personal freedom and the ability to leave toxic situations
If you drag me down
Referencing situations or individuals who deter personal freedom
You've got the freedom, baby, to walk out
Reinforcing the idea of personal freedom
If they drag you down
Referencing situations or individuals who deter personal freedom
If they drag you
Continuing to reference those who deter personal freedom
Walk out
Encouraging the listener to take action and maintain personal freedom
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sara Keirsten Quin, Tegan Rain Quin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind