Today, Indie rock mainstays We Are Scientists have announced news of their highly-anticipated ninth studio album, Qualifying Miles through Groenland Records. Nearing twenty years on from their commercial breakthrough, the New York City band is still constantly reinventing themselves.

But with this new record comes a return to the music that shaped their childhoods, with echoes of ‘90s guitar music threading throughout the project. With their trademark danceable, razor-sharp hooks and witty lyricism, Qualifying Miles is the sound of a band revisiting their roots while interrogating the distance they have traveled.

Alongside the album announcement, the band has shared the lead single, “Please Don’t Say It,” which consists of anthemic and infectious hooks, with a splash of melodrama. The ditty captures the wry charm and emotional punch that has long defined the band’s enduring appeal.

While talking about the track, Keith  Murray said: “I’m always happy to spew all kinds of drama in song, just don’t make me talk about it in person, okay? ‘Please Don’t Say It” is, I guess, a song about being unwilling to confront my glitches anywhere but in that very song. Except, now I’m talking here about using the song to not talk about it. Weird.”

Qualifying Miles Tracklist

1. A Prelude to What
2. Starry-Eyed
3. Dead Letters
4. The Big One
5. Please Don’t Say It
6. The Same Mistake
7. What You Want Is Gone
8. A Lesson I Never Learned
9. I Could Do Much Worse
10. I Already Hate This
11. The Mall in My Dreams
12. Promise Me

Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna