Tegan and Sara sing about travelling nowhere in the backs of cars on their new album, If It Was You. However, in terms of their career, they are in the driver’s seat and are certainly going anywhere and everywhere.
The sisters will bring a band along on their Canadian tour this go around. The additional musicians will help them recreate the more plugged-in sound of If It Was You, as well as keep them company in larger venues. It will be a different experience as compared to their previous acoustic performances.
“Playing as a duo is a little bit more limiting and a little bit more intimate,” says Sara. “A band allows us to experiment a little more. It’s cool to know that we’re going to have the band and we can rock out.”
At this point Tegan and Sara are working hard to promote their new record, and are busy with touring, interviews and college radio.
“We’re trying to make an impact, focusing on our career, and trying to make sure that we’re taking advantage of what’s been thrown at us right now.”
The girls have been on the road for four years, but they are still covering new ground. Each new endeavour is an experiment, bringing with it new twists and turns.
“I definitely didn’t know what this record was going to sound like before we started it. We’re still young, we’re just having fun. There’s some times where I’m like, ‘we need to be really serious and think about what we’re doing, and focus on what our career is going to be like.’ But, there’s also part of me that thinks that when we’re being spontaneous and we just let ourselves do what we feel natural doing, that’s going to eventually be what gets us to where we need to go.”
The duo’s refusal to rest invigorates their music, rescuing them from any type of creative stagnation or boredom. Sara is confident that as a musical group, they will be able to continue searching and trying new things.
“A lot of the fan base is respectful of the fact that we’re still young and we’re still figuring out what we want to do, and ultimately of our personalities, and what we bring to the music.”
Sara described recording for If It Was You as one of her favourite experiences out of the last couple of years. For her and Tegan, the studio is a familiar place.
“Even when we were just in high school, Tegan and I were always obsessed with recording ourselves. Ever since I can remember writing songs I’ve been recording myself.”
Tegan and Sara play at MacEwan Ballroom on November 7th.