(Photo Credit - Danny Lee Allen)
Album Review - We Are Scientists: Huffy (October 8, 2021)
Indie rock all-stars We Are Scientists (Keith Murray and Christopher Cain) are releasing their seventh studio release tomorrow! This album marks their first self-produced release, which you can read more about in our interview with the band that ran earlier this week. Before we dive into the album, we've got to start with the band's concept for the album art as it's truly one of a kind. Those that get ahold of HUFFY will be given stickers to make their own unique album cover that makes for a one of a kind piece. That goes without saying that the album will be released on an astounding ten different colors in vinyl! In this time of high profile record collecting, I'm sure there will be those that canvas their LP sleeve with stickers and those that will leave them in the packaging for fear of decreasing the albums value.
HUFFY at its heart is a masterful indie rock record. It's got screeching guitar riffs, heady drum fills, and vocals that beg to be sang along to. That's not to mention the hooks! The hooks on HUFFY are downright addicting. The album is bright in a time that needs it. When COVID squashes just about everything daily, the world gave us HUFFY.
Some of the tracks we absolutely adore include "Just Education" which has all the bones of an indie rock track, but has indie pop features that make it jump off the album at you. "You've Lost Your Shit" the opening track and one of the singles is another winner. The track addresses issues of friction between people and singer/guitarist Murray's admitted masterful ability to bury his head in the sand like an ostrich. "Pandemonium" is another track that instantly grabs you with its great guitar riffs and Cain's beefy bass work. The hook on this song again blends indie rock and pop so perfectly it's just ordering you onto the floor to dance. Finally, we can't not mention "Bought Myself A Grave" which is so different than anything on the album, with its acoustics, synths, and modified vocals. The track expands into lots of arenas and you can tell that
Overall, HUFFY is a big winner for a band that has contributed much to the genre of indie rock. With this album NYC born, California based We Are Scientists firmly hold their footing in indie rock as one of the best bands out there. We can't say it enough, HUFFY is a treasure and one that you need to add to your collection if you're into indie at all.
Rating - 5/5