NEW MUSIC: Tegan & Sara’s “I’m Not Your Hero”

Yesterday Tegan & Sara released a brand-new song from their forthcoming album, Heartthrob (January 2013). “I’m Not Your Hero” was released exclusively for UK ears via a special iTunes compilation to celebrate their upcoming tour with The Killers. They also made the track available worldwide via their website “because the internet exists, releasing it in any country means that it will magically become available everywhere else in 5 seconds.”

We thought you might have some feelings about it, and so here it is:

When the first single “Closer” dropped last month, it was love at first listen. Not every fan warmed to the ‘new sound’ but for me, the meshing of indie-electro-pop felt like a positive and organic progression from Sainthood, my favorite Tegan & Sara record yet. Stellar song, that one. All the thumbs up from me. Following that strong dancey lead, “I’m Not Your Hero” has left me wanting a little more. Listening to it is a pleasant experience, sure, but also it’s a bit of a tease; every time I think it’ll amp up and punch me in the heart like the chorus of “Closer” does, it pulls back and leaves me hanging. In saying this, I’ve only listened a handful of times and history has shown that I’ll probably wake up tomorrow with an entirely different opinion.

So those are my feelings about this song as of right now. What are yours?

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33 Comments

  1. I dig it! Not as epic/soaring as “Closer” but not every track on a record can be, y’know? In general I’m really enjoying the new/natural progression-direction they’re taking.

    • True. I think T&S are brilliant at making records where each songs fits/flows on perfectly, so I’m fairly confident that this song will work really well as part of the whole. (That’s not to say that it doesn’t work as a stand-alone – just that out of the two songs we’ve heard so far, “Closer” is more my jam)

  2. It’s good! I’m really liking their new work. Can’t wait to catch them on tour with this new album.

  3. I agree with Emily, this track is not as epic as Closer, but it is great.

    For some reason I was never able to get into Tegan and Sara’s indie sound but I enjoy all the electronic tracks they’ve done/collaborated in.

  4. I like it better than Closer, honestly, though I always prefer Sara’s songs, the lyrics are more interesting and the music is a bit weirder than Tegan’s stuff.

  5. It’s like a sneaky feelings bomb Sara puts inside you, and the more you listen to it, the more it grows. Suddenly you’re on the floor rolling on your own tears. Or I just got my period. Hm.

  6. I actually enjoyed it more than I enjoyed Closer. It is more layered in a good way for me. Either way I am very excited for the new album. As far as the “new sound” from T&S, I like to compare the progression of their last few albums (So Jealous –> Heartthrob) to the progression of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Fever to Tell –> It’s Blitz!) All very good albums, all completely different, but I like each one for completely different reasons. Some people will like the old or newer sounds better, some will use the words sell and out together. But to each their own, ya know.

  7. I have been a fan of Tegan and Sara since the beginning. No two albums of theirs really sound alike. Its a huge leap from The Con (and maybe even Sainthood) but i also think its a natural step forward. They were raised in the 80’s and 90’s with a lot of pop influences so I’m not surprised by this new direction their taking. Between their last album and this upcoming one they have done tons of collaborations with what you would call “pop” artists. They have found something they like. And while it may not be what we expected its the music they wanna play. No one wants to hear the same album over and over again. They have said in recent interviews that “They have done the whole indie-folk, indie-rock scene. Now they are making it into the indie-pop scene.” After listening to the two songs that they have released off of Heartthrob I start to think along the lines of Ellie Goulding, Two Door Cinema Club, and Metric. All considered indie bands, but all also all very electronic and popish. Perhaps it is a play for mainstream radio success. But after over 12 years of being in the industry, shouldn’t everyone agree that they deserve it? And when people start saying in the masses, “Hey have you heard of this new band?! There’re called Tegan and Sara! I heard them on the radio yesterday.” I’ll be able to sit back and think to myself about how they have grown as artists. How they have changed and matured.
    No matter what, its still the T+S i have come to know and love. The lyrics, the hooks, the voices. All the same. This time its just set to a more electronic and catchy tune.

    Two thumbs up from me. Well done Tegan and Sara. Well done.

  8. I think I like this one more than Closer. And I could totally hear Sara’s hero Bruce Springsteen sing this. :) Did she write it?

    • YES i was so getting these weird/awesome little brucey vibes throughout the song, glad i’m not the only one & also glad she put them there

  9. At first I wasn’t so sure about this song because the chorus wasn’t as catchy as “Closer” (which I sang non-stop for days and days much to the delight of everyone around me) but the more I listen, the more the kind of mellow electro indie rock thing is pulling me in. This song plus my love for “Closer” makes me soooo excited for Heartthrob to come out.

    Google tells me that Heartthrob isn’t coming out until January 2013? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS.

  10. I wasn’t sure about it until it got to the bridgey area, and then I fell for it. Coincidentally, it was around the same time that I recognized it as being Sara’s writing.

    I really like that a song by each of them has been released now; you can totally see that lyrically they haven’t really changed that much. At least for me, the types of feelings I feel when I listen to these two songs are different in the same way my feelings are always different when I’n listening to a Tegan song vs a Sara song. Does that make any sense? It’s hard for me to explain.

    (Sara DID write this one, right? I feel really certain of it, but I couldn’t find it mentioned anywhere online…)

  11. okay i loved Closer, but this is so DELICIOUS you guyssssss i cannot contain myself

    definitely not gonna read the YT/rolling stone comments for this one tho, accidentally did that for Closer and it was HORRID! i mean sure, some fans are disappointed, but WOW. sure i expect that from regular YT trolls, but actual fans? maybe some people should look into some other bands instead, or go back in time and stay there…

  12. I think I’m in love. It seems to me that despite the evolution of this duo I always find myself tapping my toes and falling in love all over again. Sainthood was for lack of a more powerful word, flawless. It was my soundtrack for my entire freshman year of college. I feel as if this one will be the same. Their new material is leaps and bounds from our acoustic favorites, but still T&S prevails and delivers to their fans.

  13. Listened to it 5 times and while I like it, I’m still not loving it. And agreed: the chorus doesn’t peak as you’d expect – or even like it does in “Closer”

    Maybe 3 months from now and after the “Heartthrob” album has been released, I’ll love it…that’s how it was with the new Beach House and The xx albums. I’m holding out hope.

    • Okay, nevermind. I just heard their new song “Messed Up” and am REALLY excited for their album now. How could I have ever doubted T&S. smh.

  14. The first time I listened to “Closer” I was a bit disappointed which made me so so sad but I knew Sara’s song would suck me back into to it all. I’m excited for the new album and the new sound. and and and hoping to hear more of Tegan’s tracks. Hopefully get more into to them, listen after listen.

  15. Not sure I like this new direction their sound is taking- I feel like they have done better things in the past. Not saying that it is bad, just that I enjoyed the whole indie/folksy stuff better, it’s a style I generally like more.

    Ugh.
    Disappoint.

  16. I’ve been listening to this song for several hours now, and it’s giving me lots of feelings. I really really like it. I like it more than Closer, which I liked. I think this is going to be a really good album.

  17. I just saw one of their live show videos (fom a fan) and just fell in love with Messed Up. Whenever Sara sings it she just puts sooo much emotion into it.

  18. I feel like this song is about a politician. I also might be too caught up in election fever/Rachel Maddow debate coverage to think clearly.

  19. New T&S!!! Instant buzz in my heart. I love that they are embracing their pop side, especially after collaborating with so many DJs.

  20. I really love their new music! Both this and Closer have made me incredibly excited for their next album. The Con was my favorite album of theirs because of all of the raw emotions so easily displayed in the songs. But I like that they’re showing how diverse they are, and that they are able to still convey the emotional message of their music while changing the sound.

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