CD of The Week

We’re big fans of Canadian twins Tegan and Sara Quin, who continue their musical evolution on Heartthrob, the duo’s seventh studio album. While 2009’s underrated Sainthood mixed sharp guitar riffs and keyboard hooks, Heartthrob is inspired by the ‘80s and ‘90s Pop hits of the Quins’ youth. This jump into dance-pop isn’t that surprising, considering over the past few years, Tegan and Sara have collaborated with EDM artists such as Tiesto and David Guetta. On Heartthrob, the Quins worked primarily with producer Greg Kurstin (The Bird & The Bee, The Shins) and Beck’s bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen. While I’m sure their new sound will draw comparisons from some to pop stars like Katy Perry, it’s also not far off from the synth-pop world of Passion Pit or Metric that is current in vogue.

When Amanda Palmer released her album Theatre Is Evil last year, she coined the term “crance,” as in a combination of crying + dancing, which she said was the proper emotional reaction to her new music. Tegan and Sara have taken this idea to the next level on Heartthrob, with a number of highly emotional-yet-highly danceable songs.

You’ve heard lead single “Closer” quite a bit on Y-Not Radio recently, an incredibly catchy and happy take on a new (or potentially new) relationship. Throughout the album, Tegan and Sara are looking at love from all different angles, with more straightforward, optimistic songs than they’ve ever put on an album, as opposed to the sad breakup/post-breakup songs they’ve become known for. Like “Closer,” “Drove Me Wild” is a great love song, full of details and joy.

Of course, since the Quins tackle many aspects of love and relationships, there are plenty of sadder songs too, most notably the breakup rave-up “Goodbye Goodbye” and the power ballad “I Was A Fool.” Even the honest and fairly straightforward “Love They Say” has a slight undercurrent of darkness. The complex album closer “Shock To The System” is about love jolting someone out of loneliness. And “I’m Not Your Hero” may be the strongest, most powerful song on the album; a personal statement from Sara about standing strong while feeling like an outcast.

Heartthrob is a major declaration from a band that is aiming to take the next big step in their continued success. Hopefully this record will get them a little bit “Closer” to their goals.