Hey kids, are you ready for some perfect pop? The Shang Hi Los have been favorites of mine since releasing their first single in the fall of 2020. Last year's full-length release Aces Eights & Heartbreaks was one of my favorite albums of 2023 and could have passed for a greatest hits collection. It has been well over a year since we've heard new material from The Shang Hi Los, but the band is back with the first in a series of new singles on Rum Bar Records. Just in time for Daylight Saving, "Op-Operator" will spring you out of your winter blahs with its upbeat melodies and earworm chorus. There's just no denying that Dan Kopko and Jen D'Angora as songwriting collaborators and co-lead singers have something special going on. And the band, having added Chad Raleigh (The Rationales, Emily Grogan Band, etc.) on guitar, has never sounded better. "Op-Operator," with its blend of new wave synths and classic pop sensibilities, is a vintage Shang Hi Los number and a surefire indie smash hit. The song puts a clever twist on the "boy meets girl" theme. I've often pondered how vital communications can be when it comes to relationships, and this single's retro cover art drives that point home pretty well. The technology may have changed, but the significance of landing those digits has not. Now what happens after you land those digits is never fully certain! A music video directed by Joan Hathaway will premiere in a couple weeks and illustrate this song's story in quite an amusing way. For now, you can listen to "Op-Operator" and draw your own conclusions! More singles are in the works, and I'll drink to that. The Shang Hi Los: now with more guitars!
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