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
Like O Like H
Tegan and Sara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was sure I was growing nerves
Like steel in my palm
Make a map of what you see
Direct pain effectively
I was eight
I was sure I was growing pains
SOS to my mother
Take the hinges off the door
SOS to my mother
Take the hinges off the door
Oh, oh, sugar spell it out like
Oh, oh, sugar spell it out like
Oh, oh, sugar spell it out like
Oh
Like O, like H
In your gut
Like O, like H
In your gut
Like O, like H
In your gut
Like O, like H
In your gut
In your gut
In your
SOS
SOS
Then I was four plus a ten
I was swinging fists
Like nails in a board
Pull your hands inside of you
Six years 'til I'll be through
I was four plus a ten
I was swinging back
Like a race to be sure
SOS to my mother (SOS)
Take the hinges off the door
SOS to my mother (SOS)
Take the hinges off the door
Oh, oh, sugar spell it out like
Oh, oh, sugar spell it out like
Oh, oh, sugar spell it out like
Oh
Like O, like H
In your gut
Like O, like H
In your gut
Like O, like H
In your gut (SOS)
Like O, like H
In your gut (SOS)
In your gut (SOS)
In your gut (SOS)
In your
The lyrics to Tegan and Sara's song Like O Like H seem to describe childhood experiences of pain and the need for someone to make it stop. The first verse talks about growing nerves and pains that feel heavy like lead in one's feet. The SOS to the mother to take the hinges off the door suggests a desire to escape from something that is causing the pain. The second verse describes the experience of swinging fists, which could suggest a fight or a need for self-defense. The line "pull your hands inside of you" could suggest an attempt to protect oneself. Interestingly, these experiences are described in a matter-of-fact way as if they are common, universal experiences of childhood.
The chorus of the song, "like O like H, in your gut," seems to suggest that the pain being experienced is not physical but emotional, perhaps related to anxiety or fear. The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the intensity of the feeling and its location in the body. The use of the phrase "sugar spell it out" in the bridge of the song adds a layer of sweetness or comfort to the overall feeling of distress that is being described.
Overall, the song seems to be an exploration of the pain and fear that can be present in childhood, and the need for someone to provide comfort and safety in those moments. It also touches on the idea that these experiences are not unique to any one individual but are part of a shared human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was eight
At the age of eight
I was sure I was growing nerves
I thought I was experiencing physical pain
Like steel in my palm
As if I had steel in my hand
Make a map of what you see
Take note of your surroundings
Direct pain effectively
Handle pain appropriately
SOS to my mother
Asking for help from my mother
Take the hinges off the door
Remove the door hinges to get in
Oh, oh, sugar spell it out like
Express yourself clearly and unambiguously
Like O, like H
Representing a feeling or sensation in your gut
In your gut
An expression of strong feeling
Then I was four plus a ten
At the age of fourteen
I was swinging fists
Throwing punches
Like nails in a board
With similar intensity as hammering nails into a board
Pull your hands inside of you
Withdraw or control your actions
Six years 'til I'll be through
A timeframe of six years until I'm done with this phase
Like a race to be sure
Like a competition to be certain
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sara Keirsten Quin, Tegan Rain Quin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind