Veteran post-punk band The Scientists have announced their first studio album in 34 years, entitled ‘Negativity’.
The 11-track record was made by most of the Australian band’s second lineup, which formed when The Scientists were based between Sydney and London in the early-to-mid 1980s. Mainstay member Kim Salmon is joined by lead guitarist Tony Thewlis, bassist Boris Sujdovic and drummer Leanne Cowie. This lineup previously played together on the band’s 1986 record ‘Weird Love’.
The Scientists have shared the new record’s first single, ‘Outsider’, ahead of its release. An accompanying music video for the single was directed by Andrew Watson.
Watch it below:
The current lineup of the band first reformed in 2004 for live shows, and released its first new original music with the double A-side single ‘Braindead (Resuscitated) / SurvivalsKill’ in 2018 and the 2019 EP ‘9H2O SiO2’.
Per a press release, Salmon is no longer the principal songwriter, with all members contributing to the new material and the singer now also playing more drums.
“I’ve been sort of teaching myself drums over the years, and I’m probably still the world’s worst drummer,” Salmon said.
“I’d jam away on the drums in a practice room, and if I got something good that I could sing to, I’d start recording myself and send it over to Tony and wait for him to send me a riff back. That’s how we wrote most of the album.”
‘Negativity’ will be released on June 11 via In The Red Records.