Post indie survivalist sweethearts, We Are Scientists formed thirteen years ago as a time killing lark on a college campus in California. While many acts from the same blissful era of upbeat minimalist rock have since faded into voluntary obscurity, Keith Murray and Chris Cain’s playful approach and riotous beats have kept their infectious sound both relevant and uncompromising to the well-crafted science of We Are Scientists. Five records later, this resilient duo is still relishing in the last laugh.

After moving to Brooklyn in 2001, the band wrote and recorded their debut album Safety, Fun and Learning (In That Order) released on an independent label in the summer of 2002. But it wasn’t until 2005 that the band landed a deal with Virgin records and their second album With Love and Squalor charted and captivated a cult following both in the states and abroad, solidifying them as one of the bands to watch amidst a packed sea of boisterous minimalist indie rock. Between 2008 and 2014, the band underwent several lineup changes and label searching which resulted in the release of three records.

Having relied on their sardonic and formulated dance infused indie equation, W.A.S is now flirting with a tweaked algorithm that has served them well over the past decade making their latest release, Helter Seltzer, a progressive and patient growth spurt for the sarcastically static outfit. Make no mistake, Seltzer is not so much a deviation from what Murray and Cain do best, rather a valiant attempt at an expansion of a genre that gasps for breath time to time. Controlled variables remain constant with Seltzer including their innate ability to find a heavy hitting hook and produce calculable bass lines that feel more gaseous than fluid. Ironically, experimental W.A.S is not but their latest single “Buckle” is just as tongue and cheek as that aforementioned observation; a perfect blend of melodically demanding repetition that remains danceable in its pop infused attempt at angst.

Watch the video for “Buckle,” the latest single from W.A.S below:

Detroit based sinister shred-pop duo TART serves up a punk twist by the likes of Blondie, The Kills and untouchably their own unique genre-bending sound with We Are Scientists next week. Together Zee Bricker (vocals) and Adam Michael Lee Padden (shredder of all things) channel an obscured 80’s vibe with a sincerity that is as saccharine as it is, well, tart. Theatrical and sweeping, TART’s arrangements are caffeinated and chasmic and when paired with their intimate lyrics and labyrinthian vocals this duo yields an immeasurable force.

Turn up with TART’s debut EP These Are Not Love Songs below:

We Are Scientists performs with support from TART at El Club, 4114 W. Vernor Hwy, Bar 5pm, Show at 9pm 11/30 ALL AGES, ALL THE TIME.

Buy tickets HERE!

// Words & Interview by Jerilyn Jordan. @_volcano // An untamed writer with an insatiable affinity for vivid descriptive detail and pushing the boundaries of traditional music journalism by infusing her own life experiences and beautifully tortured observations. In addition to her music coverage, Jerilyn also writes heartbreaking and comedic autobiographical essays that likely originated as sporadic sentences written on bar napkins.

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