The 2019 Jester One Music Top 20 Countdown - #13

#13. Vesperteen - Operate


Vesperteen actually landed in last year's Countdown at #3 with "Medicine", and joins a rare company in bands who have had songs in consecutive years. "Operate" was released as a stand-alone single just six months after his last record, The Hype Is Dead dropped. In the changing musical landscape, more and more we're seeing singles released by themselves with no plan to be added to a record, or in between records as self promotion. Since that release, he was signed by KIDinaKorner records, who host mega-acts Imagine Dragons and X Ambassadors. His sound definitely fits the vibes that the label promotes, and I can only assume that a full length record will be coming after this summer's EP Summer Sun. The project is still helmed by House of Heroes drummer Colin Rigsby, who has worked tirelessly to continually perfect his electronic craft.

"Operate" actually mirrors "Medicine" in how it deals with loss and pain, something which Rigsby has certainly been ultra-familiar with in the last 12 months. I don't know whether the song specifically was written for the topic (as Colin goes to my church and was equally close), but for me the song has been hyper-relevant surrounding the sudden death of my pastor last November. Lyrically the song can be taken to mean a host of things; broken relationships, lost love, deep rooted pain. Musically, the synths soar throughout the chorus and the drums explode, catching your ear and sticking itself in your head. It was one of those songs for a few months after its release that was constantly bouncing around my head when I'd wake up in the morning. Impressively, the song has become one of Vesperteen's most streamed songs on Spotify, rivaling both of his most recent releases with over 210k streams.  The video for the song features a female protagonist who is walking through a wintery field, pouring out a bottle of wine, and seeming to let something from her past go.



Favorite Line: "We lost a lot of blood last year, your smile is just a band-aid."






Title: Operate
Artist: Vesperteen
Album: Operate single




Previous 13s
2018: Marshmello & Bastille - Happier
2017: Greeley Estates - Calling All The Hopeless
2016: Mad Anthony - Sad Songs (ft Steve Wethington)
2015: Passion Pit - Lifted Up (1985)
2014: Beartooth - Beaten In Lips
2013: The Mowgli's - San Francisco
2012: Veil of Maya - Punisher
2011: Red - Feed the Machine
2010: Haste the Day - White as Snow
2009: Gorilla Zoe - Echo