If DIY has been reduced to something of a buzzword, Operator embody the term in its truest sense.

Their debut EP is self-produced, self-released, self-designed — they even built all their pedals from scratch. That kind of control shows in the focused propulsion of Puzzlephonics I, which manages to lock you into its hypnotic rush with only a few songs.

‘Mr. Director’ shows a clear admiration for Stereolab with its motorik pulse, analogue squelches, and cooed backing vocals, but Operator feel like part of a distinct New York lineage. ‘Requirements’ finds frontwoman Dara Hirsch delivering lines in a deadpan that would have gotten them snatched up by DFA a decade ago and that control is reinforced right up to the closing ‘EE UNSH’ where all the tightly wound parts appear to fall into chaos, before the band snaps right back to stick the landing. Stream it below and grab it October 9. For those in New York you can catch them at their EP release show at Reverse in Brooklyn.

For those in New York