On their 2016 debut, Blue Wave, Operators established a lush, anxious synth pop indebted to '80s post-punk. Three years later, the follow-up, Radiant Dawn, doesn't alter their sound so much as it lets it breathe, taking the urgency down a notch, resulting in a more reflective tone. Still delivering pulsing, floor-filling dance-rock, the sounds of prodding synth bass and harmonic synths drive songs like "Faithless" and "I Feel Emotion," in particular, and the album in general. The opening verse of "Strange" features a relentless 16th-note bass part that only changes pitches with movement in the chord progression as it accompanies lead vocalist Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits). Lost in feelings of isolation ("Is it strange to feel so alone?/And these days are empty and cold"), his delivery is parts frustrated plea and internal monologue. The album is likewise steeped in arguably timely existential angst, addressing topics like alienation and imagined global catastrophe ("Terminal Beach") alongside sturdy beats and a mix of eerie and glistening synth voices that edge toward darker corners. The punkiest entry appears mid-album in the form of "Despair," an agitated, three-minute track with high-pitched, dissonant cymbal timbres, crisp drums, warped spaceship-like effects, and lyrics full of dread, while the closest thing to a power ballad is the still danceable "Come and See." Radiant Dawn closes on a bouncier, if still wary note with "Low Life." Featuring Arcade Fire's Tim Kingsbury on bass, his lively bassline and the ascending keyboards lift Boeckner as he sings of always ending up right back where he started. While there are 14 tracks in all, five of them are brief instrumental interludes that only add to the dramatic, often compelling character of the record -- and they're danceable, too.