Album Review: We Are Scientists – 'Megaplex'
Already revealing four singles prior to the release of the album,
have just put out their sixth studio album,
Megaplex
.
Singles ‘
One In, One Out
’, ‘
Your Light Has Changed
’, ‘
Not Another Word
’ and ‘
Heart Is A Weapon
’ let us in for an early teaser of what the album might sound like, but now we’re finally able to enjoy it in full.
Nearly exactly two years since the bands last release, ‘
Helter Seltzer
’, duo Keith Murray and Chris Cain have been touring almost constantly since then. In fact, they’ve pretty much been constantly touring for the last fifteen or so years, regularly stopping off to visit us in the UK.
Opening with single ‘
One In, One Out
’ this song starts nothing like the classic We Are Scientists we know, but by the time it’s finished you’ll be excited to hear the rest of the album. Going into the second song, it’s soon identifiable that this is in fact the W.A.S we recognise! Six albums later, We Are Scientists have certainly become a lot more self-assured, their style has adapted and developed along the way but the last three albums have proven they don’t need to experiment anymore. This is their well-defined sound, sure some songs on ‘
Megaplex
’ sound more electronic, the album name possibly gives that away, but it’s carefully modest and established. This album holds ten well thought out pop songs, with strong lyrics and dance-y vibes, it’s really nothing less than great.
Some of the songs on ‘
Megaplex
’ already sound like they will go perfectly amongst the back catalogue, especially whilst played live. Some are more dance-y, where you can imagine crowds going mad over, singing back the lyrics, while others like ‘
KIT
’ are slower swaying songs. Next song ‘
No Wait At Five Leaves
’ sounds as if it could be a remastered Brain Thrust Mastery B-side, with singer Keith Murrays voice being tested in different capacities. Single ‘
Not Another Word
’, has a similar vibe, different vocal ranges make it obvious how his voice has got a lot stronger and more defined since the beginning of We Are Scientists.
Final song ‘
Properties of Perception
’ is a real stand out for me. It’s a great way to end the already upbeat album. This song involves energetic lyrics, which can only be imagined in a singalong environment, especially with the dance-y style.
Even though they have outlived a lot of other indie bands from their time, We Are Scientists are a band who have never really got to the ‘massive band’ level that they undeniably deserve. They have always reminded me of The Cribs, not because they sound like them, or even that they have much in common, but because they love what they do regardless of the fame. Yeah, they’ve both made successful careers out of their bands, but they’ve never been the most renowned. Both have released a significant number of albums, have their hits that everyone goes wild over, and have toured the world, but there’s something missing, although they don’t care and this is why we love them. With each show, they give 100% and with each album there’s something new amongst the sound we already know. These are my favourite kind of artists, dedicated to what they do. Only difference here is that one band originated in California, USA, and the other are from sunny Wakefield, UK, I’ll leave that up to you to work it out... Coming up to almost 20 years as a band, with this album We Are Scientists prove they are still here in great existence, even after all this time. Just as great as when ‘Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt’ came out all those years ago, although it’s evident their style has been truly mastered since then.
We can’t wait for their UK tour next month in support of new album
Megaplex
, see you there!
Words by
Abbie Jennings
Catch the band at the following live dates -
Wed 02 May 2018 Bristol The Thekla
Thu 03 May 2018 Brighton Concorde 2 Bristol
Fri 04 May 2018 London O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Sat 05 May 2018 Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Sun 06 May 2018 Birmingham Institute 3
Tue 08 May 2018 Leeds Church Leeds
Wed 09 May 2018 Manchester Gorilla
Thu 10 May 2018 Glasgow The Garage
Fri 11 May 2018 Belfast Limelight 2
Sat 12 May 2018 Dublin Academy
Sun 13 May 2018 Sheffield 02 Academy 2