Although it was released on Friday 13th, Hello Operator must have felt like the luckiest band in Britain when their self-titled debut album burst onto the soundwaves. Pulling together a plethora of their previous singles and throwing a few new tunes into the mix, this record raises the bar for would-be rockstars for the foreseeable.
Following the explosive opening track ‘Decimator’, the bluesy ‘I Created A Monster’ displays the bands strong knack for versatile song writing and punchy delivery, while newcomers such as the grunge-like ‘Strangers In The Rain’ and ‘Goliath’ give an air of a darker side, almost bordering on metal. The penultimate song ‘Cruel’ gives off a punkier vibe, swinging into an all-too-rare drum solo which gives way to a powerful bridge before crashing back into its anthemic chorus.
Speaking on the albums development, frontman and principal songwriter Max Dalton said: “For our first album, we wanted its centre to be raw, stripped back and direct. We’d worked with Mitch (the album’s producer) and knew he understood us. We demo-ed ‘Goliath’ and were impressed how he could take a sound and build a mountain.” Going on to explain how the arrangements were already formed in their heads, Dalton credits Anna Phoebe with adding the final touch that helped the halloween-esque ‘The Choreographer’ set sail in all its orchestral glory. “We met her earlier when Bowie’s producer, Tony Visconti, had invited us to join him for a gig he was recording for Sky Arts. Hearing her that night, she seemed the obvious choice.”
The record ends with ‘I Am Your Bible’, beginning slower than the rest but comes to a violent climax ending the album with a swaggering finish and eerie reprise. Coming through with the infectious riffs and cocksure choruses once again, the North Yorkshire rockers have honed their repertoire down to a razor-sharp set of spook-rock belters which lends itself both to their huge live sound and their twisted creativity.
This year, under new management and record label Aviator Entertainment, Hello Operator stand on the brink 2.5 million Spotify plays from just a handful of previous releases, and if this new album is anything to by, it’s going to be one hell of a ride. Hello Operator’s new self-titled album is available to be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music.
