Heartthrob is the new album by Tegan & Sara, an aptly named endeavor for a band whose strongest songs have always dealt with matters of the heart. It’s the seventh album from sisters Tegan and Sara Quin, yet their first to deal exclusively in dance-centric electro-pop with huge beats and bass. It is a substantial change of directions, yet foreseeable to anyone who picked up on their collaborations with the likes of Tiesto and David Guetta in recent years, or the albums of remixes released in the past few years for their both “Alligator” and “Back in Your Head”. Released January 29, Heartthrob was recorded with L.A. pop producer Greg Kurstin (P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Ke$ha), and it finds the duo shooting for straight-up pop stardom.
The story of Tegan and Sara Quin barely needs explaining, but carries extra weight in the context of this new album. The 32-year-old twins from Canada have been releasing records of folk-inflicted guitar-pop since high school, developing a mythology of sorts amongst their cult fanbase. At 18, Tegan & Sara toured by car and Greyhound bus, playing songs from their first few demo tapes. After their first proper album, Under Feet Like Ours, they were picked up by Neil Young’s label, Vapor Records for their sophomore album, The Business Of Art. (With a title like that, its no wonder they’ve spent a sizable amount of time throughout their career commenting on and attempting to maneuver the intricacies of the crumbling old-school music industry.)