On a dusty plain, We Are Scientists dress up like cowboys. They demonstrate their macho zeal by wrestling down a herd of finely groomed Pomeranian pups.
In a swank restaurant, We Are Scientists date a beautiful blond. They stare at her with creepy infatuation and pour syrup on their frontman's lap.
In their apartment, Keith Murray and Chris Cain of We Are Scientists share a double date with a handsome woman and a petulant dog. By the end of the night, Murray strays from his female friend and finds bliss romping on the carpet with the dog.
Those three scenes from We Are Scientists videos reveal the truth about this band. Ordinarily, they're outrageous.
The lead Scientists are two humanities majors who met as students at Pomona College in California.
Their biographies are packed with lies. Cain's Wikipedia page says he likes to collect antique frog skins. It goes on to say he formed the band in 1997 with Murray after the two met to watch an episode of Dawson's Creek in Cain's apartment. Dawson's Creek wasn't on the air in 1997.
We Are Scientists thrive by suspending the truth. Humor and adrenaline, the main ingredients of party rock, are key to their shtick. Their pop-punk songs are the laugh track to their show.
The band signed to Virgin Records in 2005. Their major-label debut was titled after a J.D. Salinger story, With Love and Squalor. That album sold more than 150,000 copies in the U.K.
Earlier this year, We Are Scientists followed up with Brain Thrust Mastery, a disc that debuted at number 11 on the U.K. charts.
The band now claim Brooklyn as their hometown. Earlier this week, We Are Scientists performed on Late Night with David Letterman.
Musically, Brain Thrust moves away from the frenetic, dirty guitar work of Squalor. This time out, the Scientists experiment with synth. The change gives the new tracks a more orderly, conventional pop feel. There are exceptions, notably "Chick Lit," the new single fueled by fuzzy guitars.
Last fall, drummer Michael Tapper quit the band. In 2008, We Are Scientists have been playing with Max Hart and Adam Aronson from the L.A. group the High Speed Scene.
We Are Scientists say they started "with little more between them then a dream, a couple of cut-rate instruments and $1.4 million in lottery winnings."
Don't believe everything these Scientists tell you.
We Are Scientists
Wednesday, Aug. 6, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm