Unless you spent last summer hiding in a remote cave, you will probably be at least vaguely familiar with Operator Please’s debut single ‘Just A Song About Ping Pong‘. A brilliantly hyperactive burst of punk-pop with semi-rapped verses and handclaps galore, it really should have been an all-conquering soundtrack to the summer. Not that there was much of a UK summer for it to soundtrack, mind you, but such is life.
However, don’t be fooled into thinking that this teenage Australian quintet are a happy-clappy novelty band, as ‘Yes Yes Vindictive‘ will put paid to such ideas. Opener ‘Zero Zero‘, ‘Get What You Want‘ and the title track are all brooding, angular blasts of noise-pop; ‘Two For My Seconds‘ shows the unashamedly melodic flipside of the OP coin, and ‘Ghost‘ is built around a beautifully simple acoustic guitar line and vocal, à la Get Cape Wear Cape Fly. Overall, it’s a record of remarkable depth and diversity for such a young band, and one that looks set to make them plenty of new friends in 2008.
Check out recent single ‘Leave It Alone‘ on the link above. The band have loads of UK dates planned for April and May (including some with Lightspeed Champion), so check their Myspace page for the latest updates.
Alex Gosman