Tegan and Sara aren't easily categorised, and that's how they like it. They're twins, they're Canadian, they're gay, they're sometimes a bit punk, sometimes indie, sometimes hip hop, sometimes Eighties pop; their lyrics can be angsty, lusty, whimsical, sweet... a little too much for the media to package neatly.

'I read this thing recently that said if we were guys, we'd be Emo,' explains Sara. 'Emo's short for Emotional, those guy bands with guitars. But we're women, so we're not.' The twins started writing songs in their hometown of Calgary when they hit high school and developed a passion for punk: 'We used to make tapes at home and sell them at school. But we were so bad.' By 19, they'd improved, won a local battle of the bands, got a record deal and gone on tour with Neil Young.

Tegan and Sara promptly developed a cult following, but are now on the verge of bigger things with the release of So Jealous, a superb pop/rock effort which will propel them to mainstream international recognition. Which they're very pleased about, although as Sara says: 'You get on stage, you see people wear a T-shirt, sing along, and that's it, that's all - that's really not bad.'

Polly Vernon

Also available on The Guardian