We took all that information and said to ourselves, 'OK, we can't make another record that sounds like what people expect from Tegan and Sara.

We can make a record that maybe marries what we've done with the band in the past and then work with a producer who is going to help us embellish and sort of amp up the sound a bit.'

Tegan and I work extensively, independently on our own, writing and creating full demos with bass drums, programming, the whole thing.

[12] Other musicians who influenced the album include Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Kate Bush, Tom Petty,[13] Erasure, Ace of Base,[14] Lily Allen, Pink,[11] Madonna, Cyndi Lauper[15] and Rihanna.

[8] The artwork was designed by the band's longtime art director Emy Storey with photos taken by Lindsey Byrnes.

The music video premiered September 17, 2013 on Digital Spy, and the single had an official impact date of November 4, 2013.

Recorded during the Heartthrob studio sessions, the song "Shudder to Think" was released on the Dallas Buyers Club soundtrack on October 29, 2013.

[27] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard stated: "Most impressively, both Quin sisters maintain their sense of identity amidst the ear candy" and called it "one of the best LPs of this young year.

"[38] SPIN's Jon Young said: "they've largely ditched the guitars and cast their lot with slick mainstream hooks.

[39] In a 3 stars and a half review, Nick Catucci of Rolling Stone mentioned that "their seventh album is a veritable bouncy castle of lush, up-to-the-minute indie synth-pop and blown-out radio choruses, less fussy and more whee than anything they've done".

[36] Tim Sendra of AllMusic gave the album a 4 and a ½ stars out of 5 rating and stated that "Heartthrob is the sound of Tegan and Sara taking on modern pop music head-on and winning in triumphant style.

[28] Sarah H. Grant from Consequence of Sound in a 4 star review wrote that "it all circles back to heartthrobs — the fantasies that come and go as abruptly as the closing of a locker door.

Tegan and Sara have known this for a long time, but with Heartthrob, they fill the canyon with great meaning and melodies — enough to Flashdance from one end to the other and back again".

[40] According to Laura Snapes of Pitchfork, "at its best, however, Heartthrob brings the 32-year-old siblings' more adult, romantic touch to a record that roundly avoids turning into any old generic, radio-friendly collection".