by Jay Hathaway
“Maybe the mustache will ultimately prove a useful analog for the music.”
– Chris Cain, bassist
We Are Scientists are known for making straightforward pop-rock, but they’re not known for giving straightforward answers in interviews. I didn’t want to be the millionth person to ask “Are you really scientists?,” so I set out to find the answer on my own. After reading through several conflicting accounts of the band’s various areas of scientific expertise, I finally found the answer. A piece from the college magazine at Pomona, the California school where the band originally formed, revealed that guitarist Keith Murray and bassist Chris Cain weren’t actually science majors of any sort. Well played, guys.
Needless to say, We Are Scientists like to keep people guessing. They first broke out in the UK with 2005’s formidable collection of indie-pop, With Love and Squalor. The 2008 follow-up, a less upbeat but more lyrically complex record called Brain Thrust Mastery, also climbed the British charts. A predictable band would stick with a major label and put out another album following the same formula. This is no predictable band.
We Are Scientists have left their label and decided to strike out on their own for their third full-length release, Barbara. They’ve changed drummers, as well, recording with ex-Razorlight member Andy Burrows and touring with Australian Danny Allen. What happens next is anyone’s guess, but the catchy lead single, Rules Don’t Stop, suggests that the new album will prove at least as strong as the previous two.
Chris Cain, W.A.S’s notoriously witty bassist, answered some questions for SuicideGirls about the new album, the band’s future plans, and his awesome mustache.
Read our exclusive interview with Chris Cain from We Are Scientists on SuicideGirls.com.
