This past week on June 3, indie pop/rock duo Tegan and Sara came out with their eighth studio album "Love You to Death." As it nears the two-year anniversary of when I saw Tegan and Sara live, I just had to write a review about this album.

So far it has gotten pretty great reviews from music critics. Currently on Metacritic, which is a site that calculates all the mainstream reviews an album gets, the album has a 79 out of 100, which is pretty much a B rating. This is great for more of an indie/non-mainstream group.

With all that introduction out of the way, here is my personal song by song review of Tegan and Sara's new album, "Love You to Death."

"That Girl"

The first song off of this album really sets the basic tone of the music. The driving beat of the drums and the frenzy of the synth and keyboard in the background sets up a distinctly 80s vibe. The song sets a bit of a feeling of anxiety as the singer questions herself. She doesn't quite recognize herself as she says, "When did I become that girl? That girl I see." Towards the end of the song, you can tell she becomes resentful of this as she says that she never wanted to be anyone's enemy but instead wants to go back to the girl she used to be. This idea of self doubt and being unsure in a relationship is a common theme throughout the album.

"Faint of Heart"

Continuing in the 80s style of "That Girl," this song starts off slow then builds to a typical 80s sound of a bright mix of synthesizer, keyboard, and drums. And while this song continues the musical style from before, the idea behind the lyrics is quite a bit different. Instead of lamenting about herself, the singer talks about how this love they have with someone else is greater than the world. Many are judging their relationship, and just because the love is tough doesn't mean it isn't right. The singer (Sara, I believe) tells the other to not care what anyone else thinks about it, but to let her into her heart. (Did I mention both Tegan and Sara are lesbians?) It's a song about love going against what society thinks and trying to prevail even though it is hard.

"Boyfriend"

Now we have reached the lead single of this album, and the one you may be hearing on your radio soon. It starts with an incredibly catchy synthpop beat, going straight into some harmonious synth chords. But despite the upbeat feeling of the song, Sara sings about being stuck in this odd position with their significant other. They act like both best friends and girlfriends, but the other won't or refuses to be public about their relationship. The juxtaposition between the lyrics and then the instrumentation is one of the best things about this song. It's catchy and gets stuck in your head all while being about the frustration of being someone's secret. It also brings a narrative that isn't around in pop music but should be: those dealing with the struggles of being in a same-sex relationship and having trouble with it being public.

"Dying to Know"

This track slows it down a little compared to the first three. It has some great backing synth work with the electronic sounding chords. Once again this song delves into the unhappier side of relationships... more specifically, breakups. The singer is having a hard time moving on from a failed relationship with someone they really cared about, and they wonder if this person ever really cared about them or thought about them. They are "dying to know" (ha, get it?) if who they moved onto was everything they ever wanted. Also, the background vocals are killer on this one, and they really highlight the emotion of the main lyrics. This is another track that just gets stuck in your head, as the singer talks about the other being stuck in their head.

"Stop Desire"

"Stop Desire" takes another turn on the album as the instrumentation gets a bit quieter. Less synth and more just vocals and drums. The song really builds as it moves along with the feeling of the singer. It's pretty much about being fueled by desire for someone and just loving them too much. Nothing can stop the desire that is being felt and that the passion needs to be turned into action, which you can feel with the instruments as they get heavier and faster as the song moves on and that desire builds. This is a great compliment to the lyrics, especially when the instruments drop away to give certain emphasis to different parts.

"White Knuckles"

At this song, the vocals start taking over the focus compared to the instrumentation. "White Knuckles" slows the album down a little further as it talks about another failed relationship. This one was a love that went wrong, were the two ended up just hurting one another. They try to make excuses for it to try and hold onto the relationship, but it just doesn't work. The singer wonders how they let this happen and if perhaps if it was their fault. The feeling of self doubt creeps in again as they don't know what they are going to lose from this relationship. The feeling of echoing made by the background vocals and the music is a genius way to show how the singer doesn't know what will happen. Coming after a song like "Stop Desire," you can tell Tegan and Sara like their juxtapositions.

"100x"

Next you have "100x" that is only piano, mainly long piano chords at that. That really highlights the lyrics. This is the shift where the lyrics become more important than the instrumentation. The piano makes this song haunting about what could possibly have been an abusive relationship. It's an honest ballad about someone stuck in a relationship that they want out of, but it took everything out of them to get out of it. Hence the title, they tried to tell them about needing out "at least 100 times a day". It's one of the most impacting songs on the record by giving the focus to the words and the feeling.

"BWU"

This track brings back the lightness lost in "100x" with a heavy focus on synth. We go from a sad slow ballad to more of a love ballad. The lyrics of this one are about worrying about letting someone in but acknowledging that letting someone in is the best thing that could have happened. It changes the singer as she starts to want to be with the other person whenever she can. They don't need a white wedding because their love doesn't have to be justified by arbitrary shows of affection. They can be their own people but still have an incredibly strong relationship.

"U-turn"

There's that sunshine we thought we had lost for the rest of the album. The upbeat feeling comes back in full force during "U-turn", turning up the synth beats to build to an important and defining chorus. It also really brings back the 80's tone that may have gotten a bit lost in the past three songs. This is the definitive song of the album, and it really shows what all the stories in these songs were about. It's about changing for the better for someone you love. The singer was incredibly selfish and pushed away the one who was trying to love them, and now that the other has threatened ending the relationship, the singer is doing a quick U-turn in their personality to focus on the other person. It's about becoming a better person for those around you, because what would be a better reason for positive change?

"Hang on to the Night"

Starting out with harmonic chords that ring out almost like a harp helps you to tell that this is the end. This is one of the mid-tempo songs on the album, and the focus moves back to the lyrics. The singer can't help but hang onto the idea of loving the other. They feel helpless and just can't help telling them that they love them. It's a scary prospect, but it ends up being successful and rewarding. It's also about holding onto yourself and not letting the world dim your light and positivity. It can be hard, but you need to hang on to the night and yourself. The song then ends fading with the harmonic chords that sounds almost like moonlight.

"Love You to Death" is their best one yet by far. The honesty of the lyrics that they have been known for since they burst onto the music scene in 1999 combined with the 80s sound makes for one hell of a record. It packs an emotional punch by rolling from song to song about the highs and lows of relationships. It's all at once joyful, woeful, and passionate. The passion rings through more than anything as you can tell how long these songs were thought over by Tegan and Sara.

Give this one a listen when you can. It is incredibly worth your time. I can only imagine where Tegan and Sara will go from here, but my guess will be up and keeping with the curve of alternative music as they always have.