A new year, a new US tour! How are you two feeling? How does it feel to be back in front of a live audience?

It feels great to be back. A person can only sit in their home studio playing guitar into headphones for so long before it starts to feel like they’re just spending all day playing Guitar Hero. It is nice to be able to play music loudly, with our friends, to people who are tired of just watching YouTube videos of people playing Guitar Hero (I’m assuming that that’s how most music fans scratched their “live music” itches during the pandemic?)

I'm sure there were tons of planning and safety measures implemented to ensure a successful tour run; was there any trepidation to get back on the road or was everyone on the same page and eager to perform?

There was definitely a baseline of trepidation, if only because it’s been so long since we’ve toured that just the idea of being out on the road felt a bit alien. It’s pretty easy to be safe and sensible on tour, though; it just means that we have to curtail our natural inclination to go out and rage at bars until 4:00am after the shows, which would be our standard practice, under ordinary circumstances.

How was it preparing for the tour this time around? Were there any limitations or setbacks that you have encountered?

Well, we did unfortunately have to delay some of the tour and cancel a few shows, outright, in the name of safety, but, to be honest, the cities on the Midwest segment of our tour ended up being blasted with a major snowstorm on the original dates of our performances, so it turns out that the rescheduling was a blessing in disguise. I’m certainly always happier to visit Minneapolis in June, rather than in February.

The pandemic had us hunkered down for quite some time giving artists and musicians alike some much needed time to invest in their craft and perhaps explore other creative outlets.Let's talk about some of your 'on-screen' appearances. What came first, the pandemic or the YouTube content?

We’ve always been pretty interested in making ludicrous video content, so a silver lining of being trapped at home for so long was that it compelled us to spend a lot more time crafting good jokes. Our weekly Instagram livestream became a great exercise in churning out comedy bits with some regularity. I think we’re probably ready to produce a late night talk show, as a result, in case any executives at major TV networks are looking for hot new talent.

Your 'YouTube' account has really given fans a unique insight into each of your personalities; will we continue to see new video content being created or was this just a hobby that filled the time in between the writing of the new album?

We fell out of practice as the demands of putting out the album gobbled up most of our attention and free time. Creating the artwork, making six videos, recording five different b-sides for our cassettes, coming up with cocktails to correspond to each of the ten colors of the LP’s vinyl — it all added up and made the online video content something of an afterthought, for the time being. I’m sure we’ll get back to being video comedy geniuses before the next album comes out, though.

'Huffy' is an incredible album by the way, huge congratulations on the recent release. The 10 song album began recording in early 2020 before the worldwide lockdowns began; tell us what happens next. Did you push on with recording or was there any moments where you're like,"we have more time to work on this, let's experiment"

Yeah, we definitely figured that we’d be foolish not to use the time afforded to us to try to make the album as meticulously-crafted as possible. The production of the album absolutely took a huge step up because we were able to sit with the recordings and try to take them places that might have seemed too daunting to approach, had we not had as much time to crack the puzzles they presented to a couple of dummies like us.

Do you have any favorite memories or funny stories you can share from your time making the album?

My main memory of making the album is walking around the eerily empty streets of Midtown Manhattan to get to our studio, every day. It absolutely made me feel like I was retreating to a secluded bunker where important work had to be done. Granted, much of that important work involved making margaritas and seeing what happens when you hit a piano with a gong mallet, but still…

What is your favorite song on the album to perform and why?

"Contact High" is currently my favorite song, because it’s too fast, involves too much guitar noodling, and compels me to sing in much too high a vocal register. I enjoy the excess.

Music festival announcements have been dropping left and right this year; any goals for a festival performance in the near future? Which festivals would you like to see your band be a part of

I want to play all of them. Every single one. Festival promoters, be advised: we will play your event.

"We Are Scientists" chats with Rival; "Huffy" and the New Era of Touring in 2022

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