For a band from New York the connections to Reading run surprisingly deep. The new album is as solid as you would expect from these indie veterans.

We Are Scientists had a career path that has almost closed up to new bands now. There is a fine history of young indie bands from the States coming over and finding success in the UK having been unknown at home. The Strokes, The White Stripes and Kings of Leon all enjoyed patronage from the likes of the NME and blew up here, allowing them to develop a bigger following back home. We Are Scientists never hit the same heights as those other namechecked bands, but they very much had some great moments, powered by tunes like ‘Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt’. It is telling that after the new album launched yesterday, on the 18th July, their next couple of weeks are filled with live appearances in the UK including a number of record store events. As I write there are still a few tickets left for the matinee at Rough Trade East on the 24th of July. If the Reading Indie Life travel budget hadn’t already been well and truly burned for the last few months we would have been sorely tempted.

Anyways, the band formed initially, by all random things, because of Dawson’s Creek. Chris Cain was holding a Dawson’s Creek watch party at Pomona College in California. Keith Murray attended and the two became firm friends, later forming the band at Berkeley with roommate Scott Lamb. There have been a number of changes of drummer over the years, including a stint from Andy Burrows from Razorlight. Keith Carne has been a fixture behind the kit since 2013.

I remember seeing and enjoying them at Reading Festival in 2010, one of four appearances they have made at Little John’s Farm. They clearly feel a connection to the area as they have also appeared at legendary local block of concrete The Hexagon, and made two appearances at Sub89, the most recent of these in 2018.

The sound on the new album is a slow evolution from the more angular and off-kilter guitars of their earlier albums. That fitted into the scene of the time, they toured with Editors and compared to the likes of The Rapture and Friendly Fires. They always possessed a slightly harder guitar sound than many of these other bands, hinting more at interests in skate-punk and heavier rock from the US.

Qualifying Miles is overall a slightly slower, more thoughtful album. It doesn’t forget to rock, but this leans closer to more melodic rock. Fans of We Are Scientists are going to enjoy it. Most others are unlikely to be offended by it, it may prove a little too middle of the road for heavier tastes. The singles that prefaced the album are just about the strongest tracks presented.

Of the non-single tracks my favourites are ‘I Already Hate This’ and the beautifully melodic opener ‘A Prelude To What.’ ‘Starry-Eyed’ and ‘Dead Letters’ are growing on me more with each listen.

In the current music scene simply continuing to exist is a high-wire act, We Are Scientists pull this off with a growing maturity developed from twenty plus years in the business. Qualifying Miles is well worth your time and your attention, a solid effort from solid indie-veterans.