Aside from being the best thing to ever happen to the mullet, Canadian indie pop duo Tegan and Sara makes some incredibly catchy tunes.

Although the superficial elements of the identical twins -- for example their cuteness and sexual orientation-- sometimes becomes as lionized as their music, it is their addictive songwriting that drives their success.

It's almost fitting that "Sainthood", the group's most mature release yet, utilizes elements of '80s synth pop. Between the danceable Duran Duranisms that now infect its music lies the group's most introspective lyricism to date, a break from the teenage longings and simplicities of past releases.

The album's title itself is a reference to "Came So Far For Beauty," a sparse jazzy tune by Leonard Cohen, who has a reputation as something of a pop music Dostoyevsky. And like Cohen's song, the duo describes their self-doubt vividly instead of stating its existence outright.

"On Directing" almost directly alludes to this development. Although outwardly about a relationship, lyrics like "I know it turns you off/ when I get talking like a teen," act as double entendre which subtly exposes a nature that's keenly self aware of the indulgences of self criticism.

Elsewhere on the album, and in several songs, the sisters almost masochistically embrace their deprecations. It's a more thoughtful kind of self-loathing and comes across unthreateningly within the peppy pop of their delivery.

Of course, the album doesn't live up to the existentialist profundity or expansiveness of its inspiration, banging out 13 songs in 37 minutes. Terseness and immediacy have always been the group's strength, and embellishing this formula well-chosen additions is by no means a bad move.

"Sentimental Tune" and "Someday" offer a one-two punch of determination and optimism, closing the album on a note of victory.

The contrasting yet similar writing perspectives give Tegan and Sara's songs a conversational element lacking in most other bands.

It's like the multiple perspectives of a cubist painting, except in this case, the views are so slightly different that they create depth perception. And best of all, the album is super fun to listen, too.

Grade: B

Download: "Night Watch"