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
Not With You
Tegan and Sara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And now here I am telling you
That I'm suffocating in here
Just like the drugs you are keeping me
I felt shark teeth underneath my socks
Before I lost much blood
Around this world will I be enough?
To the train stop floors
Your filthy room, your drama blues
I am nothing if I'm not with you
I'm always right, always wrong
Dressing bad is like loving you
There is nothing I haven't worn
Nothing I haven't said before
Your fluid is thick against my sheets
When you look at me oh so angry
I know it's true
My strength has come from loving you
Behavior I just can't grow into
So you fake and you flaw
For your cops and your cause
It makes no difference to me
It's love that you stole, that you stole
From the liquor stores
To the train stop floors
Your filthy room your drama blues
I am nothing if I'm not with you
I'm always right always wrong
Dressing bad is like loving you
There is nothing I haven't worn
Nothing I haven't said before
So here I am around this world
Will I be enough?
This is nothing I haven't said before
You are nothing I haven't felt before
The song "Not With You" by Tegan and Sara is about a relationship that is suffocating, where the singer is being kept like a drug by their partner. The lyrics describe their experiences, from feeling shark teeth under their socks, to being in the presence of their lover's drama, and the thick fluid left behind on the sheets. Despite the toxicity of the relationship, the singer feels like they are nothing without the person they are with, illustrating how we can become so entrenched in toxic relationships that it is hard to imagine life without them.
The chorus of the song, "From the liquor stores to the train stop floors, your filthy room, your drama blues. I am nothing if I'm not with you," is a powerful statement about dependency and the power dynamics within a relationship. The singer feels like they need this person, even though their love is flawed and fake. They do not care about the person's cops or cause, only the love they stole.
Overall, the song is a raw and honest exploration of the complicated and sometimes suffocating aspects of love.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't believe I've let you in
I am surprised I allowed you into my life
And now here I am telling you
Now, I am explaining to you
That I'm suffocating in here
I feel trapped and overwhelmed
Just like the drugs you are keeping me
You have the same effect on me as drugs
I felt shark teeth underneath my socks
I sensed danger lurking
Before I lost much blood
Before I suffered too much harm
Around this world will I be enough?
Am I worthy and capable to face challenges ahead?
From the liquor stores
Starting from the place of alcohol retail
To the train stop floors
Up to the station platforms
Your filthy room, your drama blues
Your dirty living space and complicated issues
I am nothing if I'm not with you
I feel like I'm nobody without you
I'm always right, always wrong
I am always in the opposite position of you
Dressing bad is like loving you
Being with you makes me feel bad
There is nothing I haven't worn
I have tried everything to please you
Nothing I haven't said before
All these are things I have already told you
Your fluid is thick against my sheets
Your bodily fluids are unpleasant and disgusting
When you look at me oh so angry
Your angry stares make me feel uncomfortable
I know it's true
I am aware of the reality
My strength has come from loving you
My endurance and resilience are from loving you
Behavior I just can't grow into
I cannot adopt the same actions or habits as you
So you fake and you flaw
You pretend and you have imperfections
For your cops and your cause
For your authorities and your agenda
It makes no difference to me
It has no effect on me
It's love that you stole, that you stole
You have taken away the love
This is nothing I haven't said before
I have spoken this very same thing before
You are nothing I haven't felt before
I have experienced these emotions with others
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sara Keirsten Quin, Tegan Rain Quin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind