Indie rockers We Are Scientists sure do like dogs. The duo, consisting of Keith Murray (guitar/vocals) and Chris Gain (bass/backing vocals), have included canines in both videos released from their latest album, Brain Thrust Mastery. In "After Hours," the pair has the hots for the same animal, while in the western-themed "Chick Lit," the guys frolic through the open meadow trying to wrangle hordes of the little critters. How do they plan on upping the ante? Why, adding more dogs to the equation in their next video. Duh.
Aimlessly shooting pool in the offices of Astralwerks in downtown Manhattan, the two do nothing but crack jokes as they talk about their upcoming tour. The guys are fresh off the heels of releasing their third studio album Mastery, reveling in its overseas success by trying to parlay that momentum towards an American audience. The album's title may come off as a little crazy, but that's kind of the point. We Are Scientists are pranksters, quick to confuse a devoted audience who has been tickled by their humor over the past couple of years.
But it hasn't been an easy ride for the band. Originally a trio, We Are Scientists first burst onto the scene in 2002 with their album Safety, Fun, and Learning (In That Order), which failed to bring much attention their way. Its 2005 follow-up, With Love and Squalor, finally struck a chord with UK audiences, propelling them to cult favorites in the indie scene and onto soundtracks for television shows like The O.C. and CSI: New York. But the threesome became a twosome after drummer Michael Tapper inexplicably left the band, leaving the others to fill his empty spot with guest drummers during their tour.
We Are Scientists have moved on, rotating in guest drummers as they tour their way around the world. Before heading out back on the road, Keith and Chris sat down to talk about why the '80s may have been the biggest influence on this new record, how they'll forgo riding around in a van on tour and instead walk from venue to venue (they were kidding... hopefully) and why "We Are Vagabonds" could stand as a potential new band name.
If you can't see the embedded video, click here to watch it on YouTube.
