I’ve loved Tegan and Sara ever since Peyton Sawyer professed her love for them on “One Tree Hill,” so when I pressed play on their new album, Love You to Death, I was quite excited. However, when I first played the album in my room as I got ready for work, I hated it. I thought it was boring, overly produced and annoying.
But then I played it again.
Although it’s different from Tegan and Sara’s past music, it’s irresistibly intriguing. The 10-track album is comprised of electronic beats, love ridden lyrics and perfectly layered vocals. Each song is similar, yet you know when each track ends. It isn’t similar enough to blend together, but you can tell each song is meant to be woven together in the tapestry of this album. There are definitely songs that don’t stand out 0r contribute to the album all that much, but, for a pop album, to have the majority of its songs be solid jams is good enough.
My three favorites happen to be the first three songs I added to my “June Jams” playlist: “Faint of Heart,” “Dying to Know” and “BWU.” These are definitely the highlights of Love You to Death.
“Faint of Heart” is meant to be blared when you’re driving with the windows down. It has so much potential to be a bubblegum popstar radio hit, but for some reason Tegan and Sara make pop sound sophisticated. They make it different without going full-out Grimes on us.
“Dying to Know” also continues their trend of sounding mainstream yet simultaneously distinct. A little less 90s than “Faint of Heart,” “Dying to Know” features a catchy Taylor Swift-esque chorus without, well, being annoying like T. Swift. It also features a great beat and relatable relationship lyrics.
Lastly, and perhaps my favorite, “BMU” comes towards the end of the album, finishing it on a strong note. With some Gwen Stefani and early 2000s upbeat flare, Tegan and Sara make the chorus words to live by: “save your first and last dance for me / I don’t want a white wedding / save your first and last born for me / we don’t need a white wedding.” With profound lyrics that attest to their individuality, they somehow manage to make dimensional lyrics sound happy and blissfully poppy.
But I think that’s exactly what makes Tegan and Sara so amazing. As female musicians, they’re able to take their pop sound and transform it into something different and unique by way of their lyrics and the way they reach those high notes without making you grab a bottle of Advil to cure that high-pitch induced migraine. Instead, their voices soar and reach new heights with every profound word they sing, and those happy, summery beats don’t hurt either.