We Are The Physics - We Are The Physics Are Ok At Music

We Are The Physics Are OK At Music
We Are The Physics
This is Fake DIY Records

They mix Devo with Polysics; their live performances are filled with synchronised dance moves; they are undoubtedly geeks. But how does We Are The Physics’ debut album fare? It’s time to find out if three Michaels and a Chris can change the reputation of nerds across the nation…

“Action Action Action Action Action” is a stonking great opener to the album, setting the scene for what is to come. The shouts of “Action” spur the listener on, daring him or her to listen to the rest of the album, intriguing them. Albeit the song is mighty short, but sometimes isn’t that a good thing?

Then straight on to “Less Than Three”, the albums second track and previous single, which really does capture the spirit of We Are The Physics. As lead singer Michael M’s sporadic, staccato vocals scream out the lyrics “All the keys make less than three!”, you can’t help but smile as these four geeky blokes from Glasgow have just brightened up your day.

Now, you’d be forgiven for believing that “In The Graveyards” and “Bulimia Sisters” were the same song. Well, the intros are very similar indeed. However it is “Bulimia Sisters” that shines here, very much improved from the demo that the band allowed fans to download for free from their MySpace. Crisp bass lines and sharp lyrics take you on an exciting journey through geek-rock, allowing you to admire the scenery and generally have a good time!

The album then seems to whizz by in an up-tempo romp through good time indie-punk, before the baffling “Drawing Anarchy Signs on Your Pencil Case Is Redundant” which is, unsurprisingly, as obscure as its title. At little over ten seconds, you kind of wonder why it’s been included on the album. But suddenly you remember that the band originally called themselves “We Are The Physics Club And Therefore Everything We Say Is Fact”, and everything makes sense again!

We Are The Physics have a slight tendency to sound a bit samey, but at just under half an hour, the main problem with this record is that it’s simply too damn short! Some of the songs seem like they could have been explored just that little bit further, it’s as if the band write songs and get fed up of them halfway through; which is a shame, because what they do have sounds fantastic!

A very big bonus to this record is We Are The Physics’ artful mastering of vocal-layering a la The Futureheads. But it’s not just The Futureheads: it’s The Futureheads on crack! Masterful lyrics like “ABCDEFG wherein lies the pornography” are layered over the rest of the band chanting the alphabet and don’t even get us started on the beginning of “Networking”: a guide to layered vocal tracks if ever there was one!

Overall, then, the album is a good ‘un! It shows much promise for album number two, which fans are already eagerly awaiting, and satisfies those who have yet to catch their stunning live show. A true triumph for geeks and nerds everywhere, this album deserves all the praise it gets: the combination of thick-rimmed glasses and guitars so sharp they’ll slice you open is electrifying. We Are The Physics have found the formula, and only fools would let that slip away.

Originality: 7/10
Lyrics: 8/10
Musicianship: 7/10
Enjoyability: 8/10
Overall: 7.5/10

For fans of: Polysics, Young Knives, Weezer

ES, RT