We Are Scientists — Megaplex (04/27/18)

The quirky, New York-based duo of Keith Murray and Chris Cain dropped their sixth album back in April and I can’t believe I let this slip under my radar. I discovered the band in 2014 with TV En Francais and wasn’t left with the urge to investigate them further. 2016’s Helter Seltzer caught my eye, but again, came off as just another alternative pop record. With Megaplex, I’ve gained a whole new appreciation for these guys. The album supplies the strongest set of pop rock I’ve heard this year, without a doubt. Looking back at Helter Seltzer, it starts off with two of the band’s best hits, that show off more bite than any of the tracks on their latest. As the album progresses though, the songs lose their edge and it’s clear to me why I wasn’t compelled to check out their older stuff.

Megaplex on the other hand, keeps me interested the entire 32 minutes. Sure, mid-album track, “KIT,” doesn’t offer much excitement, and album closer, “Properties of Perception” is a tacky finish, but regardless, I could still happily listen through every song on this. “Your Light Has Changed” is a dark rocker, with obsessive lyrics over a pounding beat, while “Notes in a Bottle” provides a playful love song and arguably the catchiest hook of the ten tracks. “No Wait at Five Leaves” and “Not Another Word” will be joining those songs on my top of the year list, the former delivering the most passionate chorus and the latter showing off some attitude from Murray over a bright hook.

I finally got around to checking out the band’s first three albums and they’ve proven that this is clearly not a band to sleep on. With the addition of Keith Carne on drums for the past two albums, the duo seems to be moving towards a solid trio status, obviously having good chemistry with Carne. Don’t know what these guys have in store for the future, but I definitely won’t be letting them slip another album by me unnoticed. 8.5/10