Tug of War is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen. Released through MapleMusic, Fontana North and 604 Records, it is mainly produced by Canadian record producer and songwriter Ryan Stewart. Three singles, "Tug of War", "Bucket" and "Sour Candy" supported the album, along with a cover version of John Denver's 1973 single "Sunshine on My Shoulders", which became a promotional single.
After participating at Canadian Idol in 2007, Jepsen began to gain recognition. The same year, she joined Canadian record labels such as 604 Records and MapleMusic Recordings. Commercially, Tug of War failed to chart in major music charts, selling over 10,000 copies in Canada as of June 25, 2012.
In 2007, Jepsen gained popularity by attending at Canadian TV program, Canadian Idol. She signed a record deal with Canadian indie record label, 604 Records, co-founded by Jonathan Simkin and a frontman of Canadian rock band Nickelback, Chad Kroeger. The following year, she also signed with another independent label, MapleMusic, and she began to work on her debut studio album, Tug of War.
Tug of War has been described as folk record; Washington Posts Allison Stewart called the album as "an over-processed coffeehouse folk outing", while Jacob Uitti of American Songwriter described the album as "folk debut studio album". CBC Music observed that the record emerged before "synth-pop had yet to flourish" and at a point when rock remained "the foundational base of pop" rather than hip-hop. They also found that Jepsen developed a sound "rooted in acoustic guitars and folk sounds" following her third-place finish on Canadian Idol, and that when the album shifts toward a more overt pop sensibility, it "veers closer to Jack Johnson than Cyndi Lauper", aligning it more closely with the singer-songwriter style of Johnson than the theatrical, synth-driven approach associated with Lauper.
Tug of Wars first promotional single is a cover version of John Denver's song "Sunshine on My Shoulders" (1973), released through iTunes Store on June 16, 2008. The album's lead single, "Tug of War", was released on September 16, peaking at No. 36 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. Its music video was released in 2009. "Bucket" was chosen as the second single; it peaked at No. 32 on the Canadian Hot 100. It samples the children's song, "There's a Hole in My Bucket". Its music video was released in the same year. The third and final single from the album was "Sour Candy", which features Josh Ramsay of Marianas Trench on the single version. Ramsay also produced the latter song, marking the only song on the album that was not produced by the album's main producer Ryan Stewart.
Chris True of AllMusic noted that the album established Jepsen's presence in the Canadian pop scene following her appearance on Canadian Idol, where she placed third. He highlighted the success of "Sunshine on My Shoulders" as well as "Tug of War" and "Bucket", both of which became hits in Canada. True also credited the album's material with helping Jepsen earn multiple national award nominations. Jon Caramanica from The New York Times described the album as "amiable" and "slicker than it sounds". Caramanica further noted that the record "doesn't reach far, but it overdelivers".
In 2010 Juno Awards, Jepsen and Stewart were nominated for Songwriter of the Year. As of June 25, 2012, the album has sold 10,000 copies in Canada.
Credits were adapted from the liner notes of Japanese edition and AllMusic.