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
The Con
Tegan and Sara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes, I'm guilty of this, you should know this
I broke down and wrote you back before you had a chance to
Forget, forgotten, I am moving past this, giving notice
I have to go
Yes, I know the feeling, know you're leaving
Calm down, I'm calling you to say
Calm down, I'm calling back to say
I'm home now, I'm coming around, coming around
Well, nobody likes to but I really like to cry
Nobody likes me, maybe if I cry
Spelled out your name and lists the reasons
Faint of heart, don't call me back
I imagine you when I was distant, non-insistent
I follow suit and laid out on my back, imagine that
A million hours left to think of you and think of that
Calm down, I'm calling you to say
I'm capsized, staring on the edge of safe
Calm down, I'm calling back to say
I'm home now, I'm coming around, coming around
Well, nobody likes to but I really like to cry
Well, nobody likes me, maybe if I cry
Encircle me, I need to be taken down
Encircle me, I need to be taken down
Encircle me, I need to be taken down
Encircle me, I need to be taken down
Well, nobody likes to but I really like to cry
Nobody likes me, maybe if I cry
Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody
Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody
Encircle me, I need to be taken down
Encircle me, I need to be taken down
Encircle me, I need to be taken down
The opening lines of Tegan and Sara's song 'The Con' set the tone of the entire song. The lyrics suggest that the singer is guilty of listening in on conversations between her ex-lover and their new partner. She is now writing back to them before they forget and she is giving notice that she has to go. The lyrics then suggest that the singer understands the feeling of leaving and that the person who she is writing to is also leaving. This verse is subtle and sad as it captures the break up of a relationship, the feeling of changing and moving on, but also the hurt and nostalgia of remembering what was.
The chorus of the song is a plea to calm down and an admission of how the singer feels completely lost and uprooted. She is capsized, staring on the edge of safe and she is trying to find her bearings again. The chorus expresses melancholy but also a sense of hope as the singer is coming around and coming back home. The second verse of the song has the singer spelling out the name of her ex-lover and listing the reasons why she was distant and non-insistent during their relationship. She imagined her ex while she was away, and she feels the same hurt that she felt when they were together. The sorrow and intensity of the emotions portrayed by the lyrics is palpable.
Line by Line Meaning
I listened in
I was eavesdropping
Yes, I'm guilty of this, you should know this
I admit to my fault, you deserve to know
I broke down and wrote you back before you had a chance to
I couldn't resist responding to you first
Forget, forgotten, I am moving past this, giving notice
I'm letting go of the past, moving forward
I have to go
I must leave
Yes, I know the feeling, know you're leaving
I understand how you feel, I know you're leaving
Calm down, I'm calling you to say
Relax, I'm telling you now
I'm capsized, staring on the edge of safe
I'm overwhelmed, teetering on the brink of safety
Calm down, I'm calling back to say
Relax, I'm calling to say
I'm home now, I'm coming around, coming around
I'm back, I'm recovering
Well, nobody likes to but I really like to cry
Everyone hates to, but I enjoy crying
Spelled out your name and lists the reasons
I wrote your name and reasons for myself
Faint of heart, don't call me back
If you're not brave, don't contact me again
I imagine you when I was distant, non-insistent
I think of you when I was cold and distant
I follow suit and laid out on my back, imagine that
I did the same and lay down, can you believe it?
A million hours left to think of you and think of that
I have so much time to think of you and that
Encircle me, I need to be taken down
Surround me, I need to be brought down
Well, nobody likes to but I really like to cry
Everyone hates to, but I enjoy crying
Nobody likes me, maybe if I cry
No one likes me, perhaps if I cry
Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody
No one, no one, no one, no one, no one
Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody
No one, no one, no one, no one
Encircle me, I need to be taken down
Surround me, I need to be brought down
Encircle me, I need to be taken down
Surround me, I need to be brought down
Encircle me, I need to be taken down
Surround me, I need to be brought down
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sara Quin, Tegan Quin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind