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We Are Scientists Pick Their Battles with “Operator Error”

New York-based alternative rockers, We Are Scientists, continue a strong streak of singles with the latest song “Operator Error” off their newly released album LOBES. With strong 80’s synth pop influences on full display, the duo manages a nice electric charge reminiscent of Neon Trees.

The song, itself, feels like a party with its soaring vocal hooks in the chorus and electronic foundation. A steady beat keeps things moving along at a quick, but comfortable pace that prompts dancing despite the song’s more confrontational lyrics.

“I got into a multi-hour argument over whether Top Gun: Maverick is a halfway decent movie. Maybe it’s weird, then, that I also tend to be pretty sanguine over big issues. It’s fairly hard to drag me into a heated fight, or to get me to say something that I’ll later come to regret,” says singer and guitarist Keith Murray. “On important matters, I like to keep quiet, to listen to everyone else’s take, and to silently build my own bullet-proof argument, which nobody else will ever hear.  I operate in dual modes – one where I’m apt to deliver my dumb opinion with little provocation, and one in which it’s almost impossible to get me to say what I’m really thinking. It’s probably a pretty frustrating character trait for the people who are trying to engage me in consequential conversation, and I apologize to my friends and my enemies, alike.”

A mellowed-out visualizer for the song has also been released, which brings a new dynamic to the song’s complex build. A car with a blue neon sign of band’s name drives along a city street and eventually picks up the duo. The camera simply follows them from behind on their seemingly mundane journey, but perhaps it is in these moments of transit that we find ourselves lured into close-quarters conversations where a misplaced opinion accidentally leads to something more.

“Operator Error” and LOBES are available now on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and TIDAL. The accompanying visualizer is also available on YouTube.

Charlie Maybee

Charlie Maybee is a dancer, musician, educator, and writer based in Charleston, South Carolina who currently teaches with the Dance Program at the College of Charleston. His primary work as an artist is with his performing collective, Polymath Performance Project, through which he makes interdisciplinary performance art that centers tap dance as the primary medium of expression and research. He also currently plays rhythm guitar for the Charleston-based punk band, Anergy, and releases music as a solo artist under the name Nox Eterna.

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