Operators

In 2013, members drawn from the post-punk-inspired indie rock acts Wolf Parade and Divine Fits formed the international synth pop trio Operators, directing greater attention to club-ready synth textures. Their first full-length release, Blue Wave, appeared in 2016.

Frontman Dan Boeckner, previously of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs, shares the lineup with drummer Sam Brown, his former Divine Fits colleague, and multi-instrumentalist Devojka. Strong live reception in Canada led the group to Last Gang Records, which put out EP, Vol. 1 in mid-2014 before Operators joined Future Islands on tour. Early the next year they accompanied New Pornographers across Canada and the eastern United States, and Blue Wave arrived as their debut album in 2016.

While readying new material, Operators staged concerts that incorporated Handsome Furs songs, Wolf Parade issued and promoted Cry Cry Cry in 2017, and Boeckner contributed an original track to the 2018 film Mandy. Producer Napster Vertigo oversaw sessions in Montreal and on Vancouver Island that yielded Radiant Dawn, issued by Last Gang Records in 2019 and featuring Arcade Fire bassist Tim Kingsbury. The band then toured North America and Europe, appearing at festivals in Berlin and in Devojka’s native Macedonia.