Art vs Science

Art vs. Science are an Australian trio whose sleek, danceable, computer-embellished dance-pop initially compared favorably to acts like Electric Six, Justice, and Junior Senior. Inspired by a fateful night at a Daft Punk concert, frontman Dan McNamee teamed up with his friends and former Roger Explosion bandmates Jim Finn (vox, keyboards) and Dan Williams (vox, drums) to form Art vs. Science in February 2008. The fledgling band hammered together a set's worth of songs and began playing a number of live shows in its native Australia, performing at a number of festivals (Parklife and Falls Festival) and sharing the stage with the like-minded group the Galvatrons. It was around this time that Art vs. Science's first two singles, the Basement Jaxx-esque "Flippers" and Justice-meets-hair-metal "Hollywood," began to get some buzz on local Australian radio stations; spurred, perhaps, by the growing hype and the success of their live shows, the bandmembers wasted no time in laying down tracks for their self-titled debut EP. Released via Green in the spring of 2009, the disc jumped to number 32 on the Australian singles chart and nabbed an ARIA Music Award for Breakthrough Artist Single. The band released two more EPs on Green the following year: Magic Fountain and Parlez-Vous Français? The lead single from Parlez-Vous Français? became something of a sensation in the U.K. after it was featured on a BBC 1 compilation disc, and Art vs. Science went on to support La Roux on her U.K. tour in 2010. The band's first proper full-length album, The Experiment, was released on Kobalt Music Australia in early 2011, peaking at number two on the Australian charts. Art vs. Science embarked on their first U.S. tour on the heels of the album's release, making their first appearance at SXSW that spring. A self-titled LP — cobbled together with songs from both EPs and The Experiment — was released for American audiences in 2012. The trio returned in 2014 with a sleeker, less-bombastic sound on the psychedelic "Create/Destroy" and the crowd-sourced jam "I Was A Child Once." In 2015, they released the LP, Off The Edge Of The Earth and Into Forever, Forever (MGM). Darker, sleeker, and more streamlined, it included lead single "In This Together." ~ Margaret Reges