Heartthrob Review

Tegan and Sara have sold out! Abandon ship! Or have they? There’s no arguing that Heartthrob is a gigantic, unapologetic step right into modern radio pop territory, but we can’t forget that the girls have always been a pop group in some way. Admittedly, I had a very negative knee-jerk reaction when I first heard “Closer” and saw the girls turning away from the pop/rock sound of their earlier albums I loved into something more, well, generic.

I stand corrected. Partly. I’m rarely a fan of straight-up pop music, but Heartthrob was a bit better than I was expecting. Sainthood was already bringing in the synthesizers and had a much more upbeat sound than its predecessors and it’s my favorite album by Tegan and Sara. I have nothing against pop music, but I still have standards for it. Heartthrob doesn’t break into any new sonic territory, but for the most part the albums before it didn’t either, even though they were full of finely crafted, honest and catchy pop songs. The most original aspect of Tegan and Sara’s sound is undoubtedly the dual lead vocals of Tegan and Sara Quin that sounds like two people conversing, in a way.

And therein lies my biggest complaint about Heartthrob. A lot of the synths and beats often cover up the backing vocals and they become lost among the mix. There are a few songs on Heartthrob that sound like they could have been on previous albums with the proper instrumentation. This is most noticeable on the few songs that aren’t as overly-layered by synthesizers, like “How Come You Don’t Want Me.”

Heartthrob Track Breakdown

“Closer” is still the worst song on here; brutally overproduced with an ear-splitting chorus. It’s the kind of pop song that’s trying too hard to drill into your head, meaning it’s a modern recipe for success. Indeed, since the single’s release, it has become the duo’s most popular song. Only time will tell if it will stay that way.

The lyrics on Heartthrob are the usual for T&S: heartbroken and bitter. The girls have been more sensitive since Sainthood, though. You won’t find anything disturbing like a few lines on The Con. If the lyrics sound anything more typical this time around, then it’s partly because they’re backed by the equally typical pop orchestra of bubbling layered synthesizers, drum machines, and reverbed vocals that you’ve probably gotten used to from hearing all over the radio.

The low number of tracks is also disappointing. 10 tracks is the lowest amount of songs on any Tegan and Sara album since their debut. The two iTunes-exclusive bonus tracks help alleviate that a little, but not much. This is a short album, clocking out at just under 40 minutes. That’s probably for the best, as the album quickly repeats itself.

Is this a good or a bad pop album? I honestly don’t know. This heavily-produced radio pop sound isn’t my territory. It doesn’t bother me though. How could it? It’s designed to be pleasant and listenable, and that’s exactly what it is from start to finish. The choruses are beat-heavy, catchy and everything is super slick, albeit unmemorable. The individual songs don’t distinguish themselves much other than their tempo. Really, it’s just a pop album.

The Shift in Style

I’m disappointed that the girls chose to go in this direction. However, if they didn’t change up their pop sound every once in a while, then we never would’ve heard the indie pop folksters on Under Feet Like Ours and This Business of Art become indie pop-rockers on So Jealous to The Con. Then they switched it up again with the synth beats and louder guitars on Sainthood.

This is easily the most dramatic shift in style they’ve ever had. It’s left many of their fans cold, though the girls’ most obsessive fans seem to be embracing it. So, this didn’t impress me. Oh, well. Hopefully, the girls do what they’ve always done and try something new the next album. Maybe it will be the sort of sound I’m more into. Or maybe there is more to Heartthrob than meets the eye (ear?) and it’s more subtle than I’m realizing. I’ll come to whichever conclusion eventually.

Embracing New Things

And what’s wrong with pop music, anyway? How come an artist making something more accessible earns them sell-out label, as if money’s their sole motivator? Have you ever tried playing music you don’t like? It’s not fun. Imagine playing music you hate around the world in various tours and studios for your entire career. Nobody would want to do that, just think about it.

It’s more likely than people realize that some of their favorite artists actually do like more accessible music and just want to have fun recording some of their own. It’s odd that music listeners often tend to be more petty about things like this than the musicians themselves, as you would expect it to be a much bigger “deal” to the latter. I can only call it pure, simple pessimism. Looking at Tegan and Sara during the album’s recording and listening to it, it’s clear the girls are having fun making it. As a big fan, I’m happy to see they’re still into the spirit of the music itself; the creative process and the strong feelings it inspires.

Heartthrob Verdict

Perhaps I am being very apologetic towards Heartthrob, but really emotion is what music is all about, both for the musicians and the listeners. Heartthrob may not be for me, but it’s going to boost the spirits of a lot of other people in ways their previous albums didn’t before. You can’t impress everyone at once, and there’s something really positive under that fact, how broad music can be in every way and everyone.

Edit: Read in an interview that they said they only care about selling records now. Oops.