More about: We Are Scientists

American two-piece We Are Scientists, one of the more underrated of rock bands, have returned at last with Huffy. 

Opening with 'You’ve Lost Your Shit', immediately it’s 2005 again—the pure nostalgic joy that oozes from this track is palpable. It’s one of the more persistent ear worms I’ve ever encountered and the cut has an uncanny ability to bring about a smile.

'Contact High' sounds like a Maximo Park number, albeit delivered in a clean cut American voice, rather than spikey Geordie. 'Handshake Agreement' is a perfectly serviceable number that follows the pattern: inofensive, clean, well-produced indie bangers and representative of the fact that the production throughout Huffy is to a high standard. The instrumentals sound clean and balanced, if a little overpolished. We Are Scientists lack any rough edge of any kind, but it’s refreshing to see a band having a good time without being deliberately obtuse.

'Just Education' is probably the cheesiest number on Huffy—its big, arms-in-the-air chorus wears a little thin eventually and the track sounds more like late-era Stereophonics than anything else. The following track 'Sentimental Education' continues along the well-trodden path of catchy hooks and big choruses over guitar that is clean enough to see your teeth in. The lack of any kind of rough edge or danger gets boring by this point: nowhere on Huffy do We Are Scientists surprise.

Nothing here is inherently bad and the songs are perfectly listenable, but there is something about the total lack of drama on Huffy which hinders it somewhat.

Huffy is out now.

More about: We Are Scientists