TORONTO - Any Tegan and Sara fan who explores the three documentaries bundled into their new release "Get Along" with the hopes of seeing the twin sisters snipe and scrape like a couple of pocket-sized Gallaghers will be sorely disappointed.

In fact, the only time the Calgary-reared indie-pop pair asked that producers excise a scene from the two-plus hours of film footage, they did so because the clip in question depicted an ugly sibling spat.

"There was a seven-minute scene of Sara and I arguing very passive aggressively," Tegan Quin said as the personable pair sat down for an interview this week in Toronto. She remembers her cringing response as she watched the footage with the filmmakers in an editing suite.

"I was just like, stoic, just watching -- dying inside, so embarrassed. I know this sounds ridiculous but ... watching your own circular, passive-aggressive fight is one of the worst things you can imagine. (At the end) I turned to them and was like: 'Not necessary, guys."'

Especially since that kind of bickering isn't exactly typical.

"We're not getting drunk and beating the crap out of each other, contrary to probably some of the fantasies ... There's definitely tension between us, but I think we have grown up to the point where it's not necessary for everyone to see that."

And yet, the 31-year-old Quins wearily acknowledge that many observers -- from media to the duo's notoriously dedicated fans -- have seemed to want to unearth an undercurrent of sisterly strife since Tegan and Sara self-released their debut in 1999.

That's the reason behind the new release's tongue-in-cheek title and press materials, which feature the twins sporting matching black eyes.

Yet Sara concedes that there was a time when the duo was a bit dishonest in response to the constant questions about how they function and tolerate one another.

"For so long, we avoided talking about our conflict because ... I would be like: 'I don't want to exploit this relationship,"' she said.

"There was a lot of: 'Oh, no, we totally get along.' ... But at some point I started to realize that our relationship professionally has lasted longer than most people's romantic relationships ... and I started to realize we're actually really good at this."

"So we started talking about it a little bit more. Because we were like, 'Maybe we should tell people the truth."'

But finding that equilibrium took time.

"We've learned ways to deal with it, get over it quicker, to reconcile quicker, to make compromises, and you sort of pick your battles a little differently," Sara said. "I think that comes with age."

With age also comes wisdom -- for instance, the wisdom not to put out more concert DVDs.

Actually, the Quins are mostly joking when they document the myriad frustrations with trying to assemble the "Get Along" package, which includes a live album and those aforementioned three documentaries -- including one that records the pair's first-ever tour jaunt through India.

It took 16 months total to assemble the collection ("that's almost longer than it takes to record an album," Tegan lamented), which the Quins figure is really geared toward their diehard fans.

"When we did our last DVD ... it was called 'It's Not Fun, Don't Do It,"' Tegan said. "That also was tongue in cheek ... but I was like, 'This really is not fun. We shouldn't do this again."'

"It's hard. It's arduous ... It just took forever.... But I feel thrilled to be giving this piece to our fans."

"We're people pleasers."

And among those people pleased by the new documentary might be the pair's mom. For years, she's been the subject of embarrassing anecdotes relayed by the twins onstage -- adopting squawking tones to imitate her voice, no less -- but now fans will get to see what she's actually like.

"All we do is abuse (our parents) and tell stories (onstage), embarrassing stories from our childhood or self-deprecating stories about being raised the way we were ... so it was nice to have my mom actually be on camera," Tegan said.

"She has a normal voice, she's a normal person.... We took down the wall a bit to allow her to be out there."

In that sense, the DVD is revealing at times. Even if the films included don't probe the group's occasional bickering with much depth, the documentaries featured on "Get Along" do pull back the curtain ever-so-slightly, featuring interviews with the Quins' family and friends.

Tegan and Sara have always been uncommonly forthcoming in interviews, discussing in frank terms the various heartbreaks that fuel their angst-driven, raw-nerve lyrics, and that seems part of why they've formed such a close bond with their fans. But they've also been careful to maintain their privacy.

"I like to think that we're really good at giving a lot and giving the impression that we're giving a lot," Sara said. "But there are certain complete absolute nos from me, like I would never bring in a camera crew to my house for example.

"Ninety-eight per cent of what I do I feel like is private -- conversations, friendships, my romantic relationships."

Now that "Get Along" has been released this week, the Quins are turning their attention to new music. They have about 30 songs written and plan on making a new record early next year with the goal of a late 2012 release.

Their sixth studio album -- 2009's "Sainthood" -- elevated the duo to a new level of critical acclaim with its coolly concise indie-pop tunes, eliciting a Juno nod for alternative album of the year and a spot on the Polaris Music Prize short list. It was also the third straight Tegan and Sara record to reach gold certification in Canada, a special feat given the state of the ailing industry.

But while "Sainthood" was one of the duo's most successful records, don't look for them to duplicate its winning formula on their next effort.

"It's going to hopefully be a really different record for us," Sara said.

"I want it to be recognizable as Tegan and Sara but I want (listeners) to go: 'Wow -- this is the new record,' (and) not in any way get it confused with something we've done in the past."