Short Break Operator - EP 21.04.03 Review

Short Break Operator
Short Break Operator - EP (released 21.04.03) Reviewed It often takes bands at least a couple of albums worth of rowdy psychedelic or garage rock before they have the confidence to turn the amps down from eleven and concentrate on the intricacies of songwriting. However, Short Break Operator (alias James Chapman) needs no preliminaries as he has dived straight into the lo-fi world of chilled-out beats and stripped down instrumentation.
After sensibly deciding that making music was more important than continuing at university, Chapman retreated to his bedroom to begin recording delicate electronic sound-scapes on junk shop analogue equipment. This, his debut release, combines a pulsing electronic rhythm, with a warm spoken vocal and understated guitar.

He should beware getting too comfortable recording in his room, because each of the four songs on the EP could benefit from being closer to three instead of five minutes in length. A strict producer would prevent some of the overlong repetition that slightly reduces the impact of the tracks.   

Often electronica sounds like it was all written in the head and it contains none of the heart that is essential to provoke an emotive response from the listener. Chapman avoids falling into this trap because of the fragility of his layered vocal and the addition of traditional instrumentation, including strings.

Gavin Eves