We Are Scientists emerge from the lab once more with a new sense of purpose

Long gone are the days of the pair’s once-signature cutting guitar riffs and rolling drums. These days, it’s all about the electronic canvas on which both Keith Murray and Chris Cain build their ever-evolving sound.

Though the road to this point may have been rocky, with some of their recent output failing to achieve its true potential, what Megaplex does is project the emotive life force that We Are Scientists have always been, even if a criminally underrated one.

“Heart is a Weapon” is a supremely pop-tastic rhythmic opener, and also the first track to completely deviate from any expectations you may have as to what We Are Scientists are about. “Your Light Has Changed” brings a sense of fury to the party, with Cain and Murray’s sounds blending into a thick behemoth that’s set on attack. Only once it’s disappeared do you realise truly how powerful it is.

Tender moments such as “KIT” really excavate the emotional outpouring of Murray, though you can’t help but wonder what the rest of the journey looks like after it. Fortunately, it all plays out as you’d wish for, fully road testing the new confident strides that Murray and Cain have landed upon. Euphoric chorus after euphoric chorus keeps the drive of Megaplex going, yet there is that mild longing for a sense of urgency, as if all our lives were hanging on the introduction of a guitar riff.

Megaplex is truly a We Are Scientists album for 2018. It takes from every era of the duo and amalgamates it in such a way that you it never feels forced or out of place. While we may miss those cutting riffs, they do more than enough to satisfy our thirst.