These scientists need to think less

We Are Scientists

Brain Thrust Mastery (Virgin)

ESSENTIAL "After Hours"

With a self-professingly cerebral name and a debut album, "With Love and Squalor," that alluded to an obscure J.D. Salinger short story, We Are Scientists established themselves as a nerd-rock success story back in 2005. The band cooked up a potent concoction: They mixed jittery dance-punk rhythms with wry lyricism and repetitiously catchy choruses. Their geeky idiosyncrasies seemed innate and effortless, and they soon achieved international indie stardom. But three years later, their follow-up record, "Brain Thrust Mastery," suggests that the Brooklyn-based duo might be overthinking things. The album plays like a countdown of radio hits you can't quite place: Bloc Party could be covering Tears for Fears on "Tonight," "After Hours" mimics the Killers, the synth-heavy "Lethal Enforcer" sounds like a mash-up of '80s chart-toppers, and "Altered Beast" might pass for a Weezer B-side. Their copycat approach is a bit too formulaic - it seems they've lost their kooky chemistry found on the first album. Though these new tracks are enjoyable enough and may give the band more of a mainstream audience, there's nothing mind-blowing on the Scientists' latest experiment. [Lindsay Talbot]

We Are Scientists play at the Middle East Downstairs July 30.