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
Hear Noises
Tegan and Sara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every morning that I wake up
I am disappointed by the feeling
Of waking up next to you
You call me up, let me know that
That my sick guilt is so unwelcome
It's so unwelcome yeah
I hear sadness in your voice
I hear noises in the darkness
I hear sadness inside you
My health is failing me
So I flip on the television
And watch sad movies
And look for sad sick people like me
Call me up, and let me know that
That my sick guilt is so unwelcome
I'm so unwelcome
I'm so unwelcome
I hear noises in the darkness
I hear sadness in your voice
I hear noises in the darkness
I hear sadness inside you
We could go
(We could go)
We could go through the front door
(Through the front door)
We could go
(We could go)
We go in through the front door
(Through the front door)
We could go
(We could go)
We go in through the front door
(Through the front door)
We could go
(We could go)
I come in through the front door
Through the front door
And the pills they will not
Will not
Will not
Will not let me go
And I will not
Will not
Will not let you drink yourself alone
Call me up and let me know that
That my sick guilt is so unwelcome
You're so unwelcome
You're so unwelcome
I hear noises in the darkness
I hear sadness in your voice
I hear noises in the darkness
I hear sadness inside you
I hear noises in the darkness
I hear sadness inside you
I hear sadness inside you
The lyrics of Tegan and Sara’s song “I Hear Noises” tells a story of disappointment, guilt, and sadness. The first stanza already sets the tone for the song, portraying disappointment in the singer’s waking up next to someone, possibly a partner or a lover. The following lines imply that there is something bothering the singer, as she hears noises in the darkness and sadness in the other person's voice. The second stanza reveals that the singer is suffering from a health problem, and she copes by watching sad movies and looking for people like her.
While the song tells a personal story, the lyrics are open to interpretation, allowing listeners to apply their own experiences to the song. The “noises in the darkness” and “sadness inside you” can be seen as these internal fears and worries one has, while the “sick guilt” can be a symbol for whatever it is that is causing the pain. In the end, the repetition of the chorus, which is a plea to be called up and reminded that the guilt is unwelcome, and an acknowledgement of the sadness, creates a feeling of desperation, loneliness, and a need for reassurance.
Line by Line Meaning
I am disappointed
I feel let down
Every morning that I wake up
Each day I start anew
I am disappointed by the feeling
My disappointment arises from my emotions
Of waking up next to you
Being near you often causes me distress
You call me up, let me know that
When you contact me, you tell me that
That my sick guilt is so unwelcome
You don't want to hear about my negative self-feelings
It's so unwelcome yeah
This fact is very clear
I hear noises in the darkness
I perceive strange sounds when it's quiet
I hear sadness in your voice
I sense sadness when you speak
I hear sadness inside you
I think you're feeling troubled
My health is failing me
My physical and mental well-being is deteriorating
So I flip on the television
I use TV as a distraction
And watch sad movies
I look for stories that evoke sorrow
And look for sad sick people like me
I seek out others who are struggling like I am
We could go
We have the option of
(We could go)
We have the possibility of
We could go through the front door
We could enter through the main entrance
(Through the front door)
Using the main entrance
We go in through the front door
We enter the building via the main entrance
I come in through the front door
I also use the main entrance to go inside
And the pills they will not
Medical supplements are proving to be ineffective
Will not
They are not helping my condition
Will not
They are proving to be useless
Will not let me go
They're not freeing me from my troubles
And I will not
I refuse to
Will not let you drink yourself alone
I don't want you to isolate yourself while drinking
You're so unwelcome
I don't want you around me
You're so unwelcome
You're not wanted
I hear noises in the darkness
I detect unusual sounds when it's silent
I hear sadness inside you
I sense despair within you
I hear sadness in your voice
I sense sorrow in the way you talk
I hear noises in the darkness
I hear strange sounds during quiet moments
I hear sadness inside you
I detect grief within you
I hear sadness inside you
I recognize that you're unhappy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SARA KEIRSTEN QUIN, TEGAN RAIN QUIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind