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
White Knuckles
Tegan and Sara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a twin or a son
Scared to be severed right
Right before we begun
Doubled like a couple, we stood
Stood out in the light, light
Crutching each other like
Knuckles turned white, white
I cried wolf
Howling at the moon
So left me dead
Break that mirror in two
I made us feel
Feel unlucky too
So left me dead
Break that mirror in two
Our love twisted up
Like a chick or an egg
We swear ankles that
That always were late
Excuses for the bruises we wear
Black and blue now, now
Breaking each other like
Knuckles in a fight, fight
I cried wolf
Howling at the moon
So left me dead
Break that mirror in two
I made us feel
Feel unlucky too
So left me dead
Break that mirror in two
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what this howling will prove
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what this howling will prove
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
I cried wolf
Howling at the moon
So left me dead
Break that mirror in two
I made us feel
Feel unlucky too
So left me dead
Break that mirror in two
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what this howling will prove
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what this howling will prove
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
The lyrics to Tegan and Sara's song "White Knuckles" speak about the struggles and complexities of a relationship. The first stanza sets the scene by describing how the singer's life is tethered to their partner's, like twins or a parent and child. They are scared of being severed before their relationship even fully begins. The use of the word "doubled" highlights how they are like a couple, standing out in the light. However, they also rely on each other so much that their knuckles are turning white from holding on too tightly.
The second stanza delves deeper into the unhealthy aspects of the relationship, using the metaphor of twisted love being like a chick or an egg that cannot be separated. They make excuses for their bruises, admitting that they are breaking each other like knuckles in a fight. This line not only highlights the physical violence in the relationship, but also the emotional damage that can occur. In the chorus, the singer admits that they cried wolf by howling at the moon, a reference to the classic fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." They feel unlucky and responsible for the relationship's failures and ask for the mirror to be broken in two as a symbolic end to their destructive cycle.
Line by Line Meaning
My life tethered like
Feeling trapped in a close relationship like being tied together
Like a twin or a son
The bond is as tight as that shared by siblings or between a parent and child
Scared to be severed right
Afraid of ending the relationship just as it begins
Right before we begun
The fear of ending the relationship is already present before it even started
Doubled like a couple, we stood
Joined together as a couple, standing together as one
Stood out in the light, light
Being exposed and vulnerable for everyone to see
Crutching each other like
Relying heavily on each other
Knuckles turned white, white
Feeling intense pain and strain like clenching fists too tightly
I cried wolf
Constantly making false alarms and being insincere
Howling at the moon
Expressing feelings in a way that no one else can understand
So left me dead
Resulted in the end of the relationship, emotionally killing oneself
Break that mirror in two
Breaking the cycle of negative behavior and actions
I made us feel
Taking responsibility for the negative impact that own actions had on the relationship
Feel unlucky too
Feeling as if fate has played a role in causing problems in the relationship
Our love twisted up
The relationship has become complicated and tangled like a hard-boiled egg
Like a chick or an egg
The bond between them is fragile and easily broken
We swear ankles that
Promising something that cannot be fulfilled, like promising to always be on time when they're always late
That always were late
Chronic lateness that causes frustration and tension in the relationship
Excuses for the bruises we wear
Trying to cover up the pain and hurt in the relationship with excuses
Black and blue now, now
Visible signs of the damage that's been done to the relationship
Breaking each other like
Causing harm and pain to each other
Knuckles in a fight, fight
Like clenching fists in a physical fight, the pain is intense
Cry, cry wolf
Continuing to make false alarms and fake cries for attention
I don't know what this howling will prove
Uncertainty about the effectiveness of this behavior to solve the problems in the relationship
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
The fear of losing the relationship or something else important
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SARA KEIRSTEN QUIN, TEGAN RAIN QUIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Zevon Karlyall
My life tethered like
Like a twin or a son
Scared to be severed right
Right before we'd begun
Doubled like a couple, we stood
Stood out in the light, light
Clutching each other like
Knuckles turned white, white
I cried wolf
Howled it at the moon
So, luck be damned
Break that mirror in two
I made us feel
Feel unlucky too
So, luck be damned
Break that mirror in two
Our love twisted up
Like a chain or an eight
We square angles that
That always will ache
Excuses for the bruises we wear
Black and blue night, night
Breaking each other like
Knuckles in a fight, fight
I cried wolf
Howled it at the moon
So, luck be damned
Break that mirror in two
I made us feel
Feel unlucky too
So, luck be damned
Break that mirror in two
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what this howling will prove
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what this howling will prove
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
I cried wolf
Howled it at the moon
So, luck be damned
Break that mirror in two
I made us feel
Feel unlucky too
So, luck be damned
Break that mirror in two
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what this howling will prove
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what this howling will prove
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
Zevon Karlyall
My life tethered like
Like a twin or a son
Scared to be severed right
Right before we'd begun
Doubled like a couple, we stood
Stood out in the light, light
Clutching each other like
Knuckles turned white, white
I cried wolf
Howled it at the moon
So, luck be damned
Break that mirror in two
I made us feel
Feel unlucky too
So, luck be damned
Break that mirror in two
Our love twisted up
Like a chain or an eight
We square angles that
That always will ache
Excuses for the bruises we wear
Black and blue night, night
Breaking each other like
Knuckles in a fight, fight
I cried wolf
Howled it at the moon
So, luck be damned
Break that mirror in two
I made us feel
Feel unlucky too
So, luck be damned
Break that mirror in two
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what this howling will prove
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what this howling will prove
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
I cried wolf
Howled it at the moon
So, luck be damned
Break that mirror in two
I made us feel
Feel unlucky too
So, luck be damned
Break that mirror in two
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what this howling will prove
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what this howling will prove
Cry, cry wolf
I don't know what I'm gon, what I'm gonna lose
Panda Panda
The dancers are phenomenal! Expressive. They move like abstract sculptures.
Timothy Sweezey
Musical geniuses, you two keep killing the charts, loving this song
Karina De Souza Dias
Essa é linda demais 🥺❤️
Desiree Annelise Borghese
So far this actually was my favorite music video from this album cycle. The emotions portrayed are raw I think it was super cool and a good decision to do the video this way.
Sammy B
Has to be one of the greatest compositions of all time right here 💯💪
Hayden
THIS ALBUM WAS A MASTERPIECE THEN, IS A MASTERPIECE NOW, WILL BE A MASTERPIECE YEARS LATER
Canal de Faby
hermoso :D siempre nos sorprenden T&S las amamos
Carolina Silveira
woww.. que foda! Me deu arrepios até. Adoro vocês
SPIRIT WARRIOR
This beautiful song deserves way more views, than it's gotten so far.