Is there anything more quintessentially English than bellowing the lyrics to ‘Mr Brightside’ at a wedding? In the preface to their interview with Joyzine to promote their ninth album Qualifying Miles, We Are Scientists are described as “quintessentially English” despite being American. Two years after the now-ubiquitous Killers track was first released, Brooklyn-based We Are Scientists’ debut album With Love and Squalor sold 100,000 copies in the UK alone. Singles like ‘Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt’ and ‘The Great Escape’ were as catchy and fun as Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take Me Out’. ‘After Hours’ from their second album Brain Thrust Mastery is a euphoric-sad anthem every bit as good as ‘Mr Brightside’. So, have a word with the wedding DJ and get them to stick it on.
Or you could ask them to give Qualifying Miles a spin. First track ‘A Prelude to What’ has the panoramic feel of Doves and the arms-in-the air bombast of Snow Patrol. This isn’t the cheeky indie dance rock of old – this is We Are Serious. ‘Starry-Eyed’ shifts from Smiths-like guitar on the verses to an irresistibly and appropriately soaring Ash-like chorus. Speaking of the inspiration for ‘Dead Letters’, frontman Keith Murray said, “It was wild to remember…people I haven’t even thought about in years.” Gone are the trademark crunching chords, and in comes acoustic guitar and a swaying tempo that suits the contemplative mood.
If Weezer had released ‘The Big One’ it would be a bigger one. The giddy pleasure caused by the goofy guitar line and thumping chorus will dislodge your Buddy Holly glasses and you won’t care about them cracking on the floor. First single ‘Please Don’t Say It’ has the shimmering propulsion of fellow New Yorkers Yeah Yeah Yeahs and a guitar solo that appears to have been provided by The Cult. The splashy, echoing snares on ‘The Same Mistake’ bring to mind Berlin’s ‘Take My Breath Away’ and Madonna’s ‘Crazy For You’. If the brief was to create a tribute to sombre-triumphant mid-80s pop classics, We Are Scientists have more than delivered. ‘What You Want Is Gone’ moves into the 90s – a chiming, insistent guitar line interlocking with Chris Cain’s lively bass, which lean into yet another anthemic chorus.
‘A Lesson I Never Learned’ allows us a breather, though amidst the calm is pain, as Keith Murray sings of someone “only being nice” and the “saddest thing I’ve ever heard”. The video for second single ‘I Could Do Much Worse’ features a person dressed as a gorilla dancing on a beach – it’s a King Kong sing song! ‘I Already Hate This’ needs to be heard if only for the transition from indie banger to Sade saxophone – such a stunning surprise. ‘The Mall In My Dreams’ is not, as the title may suggest, a synthwave tale of an imaginary 80s shopping centre – it’s a happy strum that repeats the defiant line ‘don’t change for anyone.’ Like Delays’ ‘Long Time Coming’, final track ‘Promise Me’ includes some sort of whale siren sound and a yearning indie ambience that, in the manner of ‘Mr Brightside’ or ‘After Hours’, will fill you with melancholy and joy.
A few years ago, a more gifted reviewer wrote that We Are Scientists are the ‘bedrock of indie discos.’ Yes, and possibly wedding receptions, or basically any occasion for a good time. But, as Qualifying Miles reveals, the band have come a long way. They’ll still make you dance like a loon and beam like a Cheshire cat, though they’ll also make you think and maybe even cry. We Are Scientists could be called They Are Underrated, but look on the bright side – they’re 20 years in the business and still as fresh and as thrilling as they were when they started.
Qualifying Miles is out now via Groenland Records
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Review by Neil Laurenson
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