We Are Scientists

Hailing from New York, indie outfit We Are Scientists craft infectious fusions of jagged post-punk and sleek synth-pop evoking the 1980s. Attention first arrived via the 2005 release With Love and Squalor, which earned gold certification in the U.K. and placed the band next to peers such as Editors, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, and the Killers. Greater success followed with 2008’s Brain Thrust Mastery, which climbed to number 11 on the U.K. albums chart. Subsequent entries that reached the U.K. Top 50 include 2010’s Barbara, 2014’s TV en Français, 2016’s Helter Seltzer, 2018’s Megaplex, and 2021’s Huffy, while 2023’s Lobes joined the catalog as the group continued merging dry wit with its foundational post-punk base and broadening synth textures.

Three college students from California initially assembled the project on the West Coast. We Are Scientists gained momentum once frontman Keith Murray, bassist Chris Cain, and drummer Michael Tapper—who had replaced original drummer/vocalist Scott Lamb—moved to Brooklyn and cultivated a loyal local audience. Three EPs and the independent album Safety, Fun, and Learning (In That Order) preceded a deal with Virgin Records, after which the major-label debut With Love and Squalor appeared in early 2005, reaching number ten on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and later securing gold status in the U.K.

Reduced to the duo of Cain and Murray following Tapper’s departure, the band issued its second album, Brain Thrust Mastery, in 2008. Produced by Ariel Rechtshaid, the record featured the singles “After Hours” and “Chick Lit,” debuting at number 11 in the U.K. Extensive touring ensued, encompassing multiple European festivals and U.S. support dates for Kings of Leon.

As work began on a third album, former Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows joined, and the updated lineup unveiled 2010’s Barbara, which again entered the U.K. Top 50. That same year Murray and Cain starred in the comedy web series Steve Wants His Money, segments of which also aired on MTV.

Late 2012 found the band tracking its fourth album in New York with producer Chris Coady, whose credits include Beach House, Gang Gang Dance, and Blonde Redhead. Burrows relocated temporarily from England to collaborate on songwriting and recording. Released in early 2014 via 100%/Dine Alone Records, TV en Français included guest contributions from Rose Elinor Dougall (Mark Ronson) and Tim Wheeler (Ash) and peaked at number 36 on the U.K. Albums Chart.

Helter Seltzer, the fifth studio album, arrived in 2016 under the guidance of producer Max Hart (of Katy Perry’s band) and charted inside the Top 50 on both the U.K. and Scottish listings. Two years afterward came the sixth effort, Megaplex, again helmed by Hart; it reached number 45 in the U.K. and spotlighted the singles “Heart Is a Weapon,” “Not Another Word,” and “Your Light Has Changed.” After launching the Dumpster Dive podcast in 2020, the group delivered its seventh consecutive U.K. Top 50 album, Huffy, in 2021, which also became its second to enter the Scottish Top 20. The synth-driven eighth studio set, Lobes, followed in 2023.