You could easily forgive Zac Farro for wanting a breather. His debut solo record follows a whirlwind period in the songwriter’s life, with new records by Paramore and HalfNoise emerging amid a year of stadium touring with Taylor Swift. Instead of sounding tired or jaded, though, ‘Operator’ finds him creatively unshackled, free from Paramore-level scrutiny and expressively building upon the psychedelic foundations of HalfNoise’s ‘City Talk’.
The title track immediately establishes this sonic palette — imagine Tame Impala making a Japanese city-pop record produced by Nile Rodgers, complete with glittering synths that feel like neon vacancy signs flickering to life. The infectious 1, meanwhile, showcases Farro’s gift for creating textured playgrounds of psychedelic funk driven by luscious vocal harmonies.
Second Chance is a perfect pop song and Gold Days channels prime Jamiroquai, with stomping grooves that demand movement.
Elsewhere, the gorgeous My My juxtaposes melancholic lyrics about witnessing loss against sun-drenched sonics that evoke vast ranches outside of Nashville.
Farro appears to deliberately sacrifice lyrical complexity at the altar of direct hooks, creating an album of infectiously catchy songs. His choruses are magnetic, with All I Really Want Now and Sunday Driving’s repetitive refrains feel instantly familiar yet distinctive.
The only real flaw is a lean 25-minute runtime across nine tracks, leaving listeners doing the full Oliver Twist and begging for more. But when an album’s greatest weakness is that it ends too soon, you know it’s the mark of something special.
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