Love You to Death (album)

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Love You to Death
Studio album by
Tegan and Sara
ReleasedJune 3, 2016 (2016-06-03)
GenreSynth-pop[1]
Length31:27
Label
ProducerGreg Kurstin
Tegan and Sara chronology
Heartthrob
(2013) 		Love You to Death
(2016) 		Hey, I'm Just Like You
(2019)
Singles from Love You to Death
  1. "Boyfriend"
    Released: April 8, 2016
  2. "Stop Desire"
    Released: August 25, 2016

Love You to Death is the eighth studio album by Canadian indie pop duo Tegan and Sara, released on June 3, 2016, on Neil Young's label Vapor Records through Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Greg Kurstin, it is the follow-up to the duo's 2013 release Heartthrob, also produced in part by Kurstin.[2] "Boyfriend" was released as the album's lead single on April 8, 2016. The same day, "U-Turn" was also released as a promotional single.

Background[edit]

It was revealed in November 2015 by Stereogum that Tegan and Sara had completed recording of the then untitled album.[3] The band announced the name of the album on their official Facebook on March 10, 2016,[4] with the official album art released the next day on their official Instagram account.[5]

Recording and production[edit]

At the Beats 1 premiere interview, Sara explained the concept behind the album's lead single "Boyfriend":[6]

As Quin explained to DJ Matt Wilkinson, the song details a love triangle she found herself in with a woman who not only hadn't dated another girl before, but was still seeing another man. "I think that's pretty relatable. Obviously, being gay, there's sort of a bit of a gender twist in the song, and I get that that sometimes doesn't seem immediately relatable to everybody, whether they're straight or whatever. But this idea, you know, that we've all been in that situation where we really like someone and we want to make it official, and they're not ready, that's what the song is about."

Release[edit]

The album became available for pre-order on iTunes, Amazon Music, Google Play, and in retail stores and other music distribution platforms on April 8, 2016, and was released on June 3, 2016.

Singles[edit]

Since the album has become available for pre-order, one official single has been released from the album, titled "Boyfriend". The single first became available to listen to via Beats 1 on April 7, 2016,[7] and was available to download the next day.

The twins announced via their Instagram account that "Stop Desire" would be released as the second single from the album. The track is also featured on the soundtrack and in the trailer of The Sims 4: City Living expansion pack.

Promotional singles[edit]

"U-turn" was released as a promotional single along with "Boyfriend" on April 8, 2016 for listeners who pre-ordered the album. "100x" was released as the second promotional single on May 6, 2016, and "Stop Desire" was released as the third and final promotional single on May 20, 2016.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[8]
Metacritic78/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
The A.V. ClubB+[11]
The Guardian[12]
NME[13]
The Observer[14]
Pitchfork7.1/10[15]
Rolling Stone[16]
Spin8/10[17]
Uncut9/10[18]
Vice (Expert Witness)A−[19]

Love You to Death received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 78 out of 100 based on 24 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[9] Tim Sendra of AllMusic writes: "This is pop music that is all heart all the time, and for that, the sisters deserve every accolade that comes their way."[10] Spin's Rachel Brodsky claims: "All over their eighth album, the Quins continue to demonstrate what makes them such fine songwriters."[17] Jordan Bassett of NME calls it a "perfectly formed record full of buoyant pop songs."[13] Exclaim!'s Ryan McNutt gave the album a positive review, calling it "another solid soundtrack for summer romances and road-trips alike".[20] "Every track is a three-minute formalist construct that captures a mood... every one is catchy," said Robert Christgau in his review for Vice.[19]

Accolades[edit]

Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
AllMusic Best of 2016
*
[21]
Favorite Pop Albums
*
[22]
Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2016
27
[23]
Cosmopolitan The 15 Best Albums of 2016
15
[24]
Diffuser Top 40 Albums of 2016
19
[25]
Digital Spy 20 Best Albums of 2016
20
[26]
Entertainment Weekly Best Albums of 2016
13
[27]
FasterLouder The 50 Best Albums of 2016
38
[28]
The Guardian The Best Albums of 2016
35
[29]
NME NME's Albums of the Year 2016
18
[30]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2016
28
[31]
Under the Radar Top 100 Albums of 2016
98
[32]

Commercial performance[edit]

Love You to Death entered the Billboard 200 at number 16. In its second week, the album fell to number 181.[33] In the United Kingdom, Love You to Death reached number 30.[34] In Canada, Love You to Death reached number three and spent three weeks on the chart.[35]

Track listing[edit]

Credits adapted from the iTunes pre-order listing.[36]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."That Girl"
2:44
2."Faint of Heart"
  • T. Quin
  • S. Quin
2:54
3."Boyfriend"
2:47
4."Dying to Know"
3:37
5."Stop Desire"
  • T. Quin
  • S. Quin
3:17
6."White Knuckles"
  • T. Quin
  • S. Quin
3:18
7."100x"
  • T. Quin
  • S. Quin
  • Shatkin
3:02
8."BWU"
  • T. Quin
  • S. Quin
  • Kurstin
3:21
9."U-Turn"
  • T. Quin
  • S. Quin
  • Kurstin
2:58
10."Hang On to the Night"
  • T. Quin
  • S. Quin
3:29
Total length:31:27

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[37]

Charts[edit]

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[38] 13
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[39] 61
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[40] 156
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[41] 3
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[42] 18
Irish Albums (IRMA)[43] 29
UK Albums (OCC)[44] 30
US Billboard 200[45] 16

References[edit]

  1. ^ Mitchell, Matt (July 21, 2023). "The 50 Greatest Synth-Pop Albums of All Time". Paste. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  2. ^ Snapes, Laura (7 April 2016). "How the Rest of the World Caught Up to Tegan and Sara". Buzzfeed. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom (December 2015). "Tegan And Sara Finish LP8". Stereogum. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  4. ^ "Tegan and Sara – Love You to Death". Facebook. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  5. ^ "Pre-order #LoveYoutoDeath NOW on @iTunes and get Boyfriend and U-turn instantly! #LY2D". Tegan and Sara (@teganandsara). Instagram. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  6. ^ Blisten, Jon. "Hear Tegan and Sara Navigate Love Triangles on New Song 'Boyfriend'". Rolling Stone. Beats 1. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  7. ^ Carley, Brennan (7 April 2016). "Tegan and Sara Debut 'Boyfriend' on Beats 1, Earth Rejoices". Spin. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  8. ^ "Love You to Death by Tegan and Sara reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Reviews for Love You To Death by Tegan and Sara". Metacritic. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Sendra, Tim. "Love You to Death – Tegan and Sara". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  11. ^ McCown, Alex (June 3, 2016). "Tegan And Sara are hampered by the curse of being very good". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  12. ^ Petridis, Alexis (June 2, 2016). "Tegan and Sara: Love You to Death review – smart, confident, grown-up pop". The Guardian. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Bassett, Jordan (June 1, 2016). "Tegan & Sara – 'Love You To Death' Review". NME. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  14. ^ Cragg, Michael (June 5, 2016). "Tegan and Sara: Love You to Death review – glossy pop with razor-sharp lyrics". The Observer. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  15. ^ Cook, Cameron (June 8, 2016). "Tegan and Sara: Love You to Death". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  16. ^ Dolan, Jon (June 3, 2016). "Love You to Death". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  17. ^ a b Brodsky, Rachel (May 25, 2016). "Review: Tegan and Sara Write the Pop Album They've Earned on 'Love You to Death'". Spin. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  18. ^ Snapes, Laura (July 2016). "Tegan and Sara: Love You to Death". Uncut (230): 81.
  19. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (September 2, 2016). "It's Britney, Bitch: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  20. ^ McNutt, Ryan (June 1, 2016). "Review: Tegan and Sara – 'Love You to Death'". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  21. ^ "Best of 2016". AllMusic. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  22. ^ "Favorite Pop Albums: AllMusic 2016 in Review". AllMusic. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  23. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2016". Consequence of Sound. November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  24. ^ Thompson, Eliza (December 9, 2016). "The 15 Best Albums of 2016". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  25. ^ Wawzenek, Bryan (December 8, 2016). "Top 40 Albums of 2016". Diffuser. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  26. ^ Corner, Lewis (December 29, 2016). "20 best albums of 2016: who have we crowned No. 1?". Digital Spy. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  27. ^ "Best albums of 2016: EW picks the 50 greatest". Entertainment Weekly. December 9, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  28. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2016". FasterLouder. December 8, 2016. Archived from the original on December 9, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  29. ^ "The Best Albums of 2016: 40–31". The Guardian. November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  30. ^ "NME's Albums of the Year 2016". NME. November 24, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  31. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Paste. November 30, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  32. ^ "Top 100 Albums of 2016". Under the Radar. December 16, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  33. ^ "Top 200 Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  34. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  35. ^ "Tegan and Sara Chart History: Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  36. ^ "Love You to Death (iTunes Pre-order Page)". Apple. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  37. ^ "Love You to Death – Tegan and Sara – Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  38. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Tegan and Sara – Love You to Death". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  39. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tegan and Sara – Love You to Death" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  40. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tegan and Sara – Love You to Death" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  41. ^ "Tegan and Sara Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  42. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2016. 25. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  43. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 23, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  44. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  45. ^ "Tegan and Sara Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
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