Tegan and Sara

“Love You to Death”

Vapor

Tegan and Sara, the identical twin musical geniuses from Calgary, reached what could have been considered their artistic apex in 2013 with the release of “Hartthrob,” a synth-heavy throwback that featured some of the best musical writing of the twins’ careers. But for their follow-up, Tegan and Sara have decided to take a page from Taylor Swift’s “1989,” and have given “Love You to Death” an ‘80s feel that perfectly encapsulates all of the best parts of that era’s electro-jams and maintains the lofty artistic position that “Hartthrob” put them in. Lead single “Boyfriend” is equal parts dreamy, poppy and fun, but it also marks an important new step in their music. Despite both of them being openly gay, the pair have taken great care to make their songs gender non-specific. “Boyfriend,” however, alters that trend and marks the first time that Tegan and Sara have explicitly written about women as the objects of their desire. For a group that seems to get better the longer they create, “Love You to Death” marks a bold new direction in the pair’s lyrics and proves they still have so much more to offer. CV

The Strokes

“Future Present Past”

Cult Records

Freed from the shackles of its RCA contract, The Strokes have decided to do something it hadn’t done since before the five-album contract was first signed and release an EP. A four-track affair with only three tracks of music worth commenting on (the fourth is a wildly unnecessary remix), “Future Present Past” does not give fans a heck of a lot to work with. But what is there is strong enough to make fans suspect the band still has a little left in its tank. “Threat of Joy,” with its ‘70s throwback feel, is the best of the bunch, but what ultimately keeps the album from being a complete winner is its brevity. With less than 15 minutes of genuine music to whet fans’ appetites, “Future Present Past” will either serve as a frustrating reminder of what The Strokes could do or a tantalizing preview to something larger coming soon. CV