If this one looks familiar, you’re absolutely right. The new Not Scientists’ EP Staring At The Moon is the follow-up to last year’s Staring At The Sun LP. It’s not just the album titles that are similar, visually the album covers are like twins, with only a prominent change of color. Sonically, the difference is more noticeable. Whereas Staring At The Sun saw the French band diving further into a new wavish post punk sound, Staring At The Moon offers more of the catchy indie punk that first got me into the band.
There are eight songs on the 10” EP: Four tunes that were recorded in the Staring At The Sun sessions, and four live versions of songs from last year’s LP, recorded at a memorable show in Lyon. Of the new tunes, Spit It Out is my favorite. Fasten Your Seatbelts is another throwback Not Scientists song. The only reason I can think of why these kickass punk rock songs were kept off Staring At The Sun, is because they did not fit the sonic spectrum of the record. But Staring At The Moon shows that while the focus of their songwriting may have widened, Not Scientists haven’t completely forgotten their roots.
Out now on ‘glow in the dark’ vinyl at Kicking Records, Rookie Records and Kidnap Music.