Album Review Tegan and Sara - Hey, I’m Just Like You

Two decades on from debut album ‘Under Feet Like Ours’, Tegan and Sara dove deep for ninth full-length ‘Hey, I’m Just Like You’. Taking its beginnings from the discovery of long-lost demo cassettes, the pair reworked tracks written when they were teenagers. It makes for a welcome blend of candid lyrics and mature musicality, all expertly held together by upbeat, contemporary production. Joyously catchy opener ‘Hold My Breath Until I Die’ perfectly captures the spirit of the record, soaking in romance and regret in equal measure. The same glorious pop sheen is present on the assertive ‘I Don’t Owe You Anything’ and the title track - two of the sharpest tunes on show. Elsewhere, ‘I’ll Be Back Someday’ benefits from its pop-punk influences, topped off with a stadium-sized chorus, while the duo strip their sound back to its bare bones on the evocative ‘Hello I’m Right Here’ and the simple, but devastatingly effective ‘Please Help Me’. ‘Hey, I’m Just Like You’ is a record underpinned by raw emotion, melancholy, and a quiet but clear sense of hope, making for one of the group’s most vital efforts yet.