We Are Scientists

New York-based undie outfit We Are Scientists are known for their hooky blend of angular post-punk and polished ’80s-style synth pop. The group first garnered attention with 2005’s With Love and Squalor, a debut that went gold in the U.K. and set them alongside contemporaries like Editors, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, and the Killers. They fared even better with 2008′s Brain Thrust Mastery, reaching number 11 on the U.K. charts. They have continued to reach the Top 50 in the U.K. with albums like 2010′s Barbara, 2014′s TV en Français, 2016′s Helter Seltzer, 2018′s Megaplex, and 2021′s Huffy. Those albums, as well as 2023′s Lobes, have found We Are Scientists balancing a wry sense of humor with their core post-punk sound and expanding synth atmospherics.
Formed on the West Coast by three California-based college students, We Are Scientists officially took flight after frontman Keith Murray, bass player Chris Cain, and drummer Michael Tapper (who replaced founding drummer/vocalist Scott Lamb) relocated to Brooklyn and began building a small but devoted following. After releasing three EPs and one independent album — Safety, Fun, and Learning (In That Order) — the group signed with Virgin Records and released their major-label debut, With Love and Squalor, in early 2005. The effort peaked at ten on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and was eventually certified gold in the U.K.
In 2008, We Are Scientists — reduced to a duo comprising Cain and Murray after Tapper parted ways with the group — put out their second full-length album, Brain Thrust Mastery. Produced by Ariel Rechtshaid, the set included the singles “After Hours” and “Chick Lit.” As before, the record found popularity in the U.K., where it debuted at number 11 on the albums chart. The band toured heavily in support, playing a number of European festivals and opening shows in America for Kings of Leon.
As We Are Scientists prepared to record a third album, former Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows joined the lineup, and the revised band unveiled itself with the release of 2010′s Barbara. The album again cracked the U.K. Top 50. That year, founding members Cain and Murray also appeared in their own series of comedy shorts, Steve Wants His Money, which aired on the Internet and ran in segments on MTV.
In late 2012, the band entered the studio in New York with producer Chris Coady (Beach House, Gang Gang Dance, Blonde Redhead) to record sessions for their fourth record. Burrows relocated to the city from England while he worked with Murray and Cain to write and record tracks for the album. Titled TV en Français, it arrived in early 2014 on 100%/Dine Alone Records and featured appearances by Rose Elinor Dougall (Mark Ronson) and Tim Wheeler (Ash). It reached number 36 on the U.K. Albums Chart.
In 2016, We Are Scientists returned with their fifth studio album, Helter Seltzer, produced by Max Hart (of Katy Perry’s band). The effort charted in the Top 50 of the U.K. and Scottish charts. Two years later, they delivered their sixth effort, the polished Megaplex, also produced by Hart. The album, which hit number 45 in the U.K., featured the singles “Heart Is a Weapon,” “Not Another Word,” and “Your Light Has Changed.” Following the 2020 launch of their own Dumpster Dive podcast, the group returned with the full-length Huffy in 2021. It became their seventh consecutive album to reach the U.K. Top 50 and second to hit the Top 20 in Scotland. The group’s eighth studio album, the synth-heavy Lobes, arrived in 2023. ~ Matt Collar & Andrew Leahey