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
Red Belt
Tegan and Sara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you're sure nothing could be further from the cold hard truth
I kneel to condition all the feelings that I feel
Slow it down
You have a tendency to rush back into your past
Slow it down
You transfer all your weight and disappear
You kneel to condition all the feelings that you feel
I've got a red belt around my mind
My hands tied around these words
I wish you'd call but I know that you're out tonight
My ears fill with the sound of you kneeling
My ears fill with sound of descent
My ears fill with the sound of you arching
Slow it down
You have a tendency to rush back into your past
Slow it down
You transfer all your weight and disappear
Kneel to condition all the feelings that you feel
Kneel to condition all the feelings that you feel
Kneel to condition all the feelings that you feel
Kneel to condition all the feelings that you feel
The lyrics of Tegan and Sara's song "Red Belt" describe dealing with emotional baggage and desperately trying to control one's feelings. The singer of the song has a tendency to rush back into the past, perhaps to revisit old emotions or old relationships. They describe themselves as kneeling to condition all the feelings that they feel. This can be interpreted as an attempt to manage and regulate emotions, either through self-reflection or perhaps even therapy.
The chorus of the song, "I've got a red belt around my mind," serves as a metaphor for mental restraint. It suggests that the singer is tightly controlling their thoughts and being disciplined with their emotions. The belt, which is often a symbol of martial arts, could also represent a fight within oneself to stay in control and remain grounded.
Throughout the song, there are references to listening and the sound of the singer's surroundings. They mention their ears filling with the sound of the person they wish would call, as well as with the sound of kneeling and descent. This may indicate a heightened awareness of their own feelings and surroundings as they try to navigate their emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
When you think nothing could be further from the truth
When you're sure nothing could be further from the cold hard truth
I kneel to condition all the feelings that I feel
You kneel to condition all the feelings that you feel
Slow it down
Take a step back and slow down
You have a tendency to rush back into your past
You tend to quickly return to past mistakes or experiences
You transfer all your weight and disappear
You push all the responsibility onto others and disappear
I've got a red belt around my mind
Your mind is trapped and limited by a certain way of thinking
My hands tied around these words
You feel trapped and unable to express yourself fully
I wish you'd call but I know that you're out tonight
You wish for someone's presence but acknowledge they're not there
My ears fill with the sound of you kneeling
You hear the sound of someone submitting or giving in
My ears fill with sound of descent
You hear the sound of someone falling or losing control
My ears fill with the sound of you arching
You hear the sound of someone bending or changing
Kneel to condition all the feelings that you feel
Submit and condition all the emotions you experience
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sara Keirsten Quin, Tegan Rain Quin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind