Cybertrucks are overtaking the streets. No one’s embarrassed about ‘selling out’ anymore. Wendy’s wants to be your friend. Automatic encourages us to confront our complicity in the structures destroying us with the kind of song you can’t get out of your head. Balancing irreverence with sharp commentary, the LA three-piece approached their third album – Is It Now? due out September 26 via Stones Throw – with a dark sense of humor and a swing in their step.
For the new collection, they brought on producer Loren Humphrey (Arctic Monkeys, Nice As Fuck, Cameron Winter) who encouraged them to play live and loose: long takes, a rhythm section that really breathes. Following early teaser track “It It Now?,” Automatic reveals lead single “Mercury,” a propulsive trip-hop cut heavily inspired by the Stones Throw catalog with a breakbeat sample. Izzy shares, the lyrics of the new track are a reminder “not to fall into nihilism or cynicism, to instead see life through a bit of a spiritual lens.” She adds, “Despite the horrible shit constantly happening, life can still be mysterious and beautiful. I wanted to lean into a sense of dreaminess, and to have the verses feel like a dark lullaby.”
Izzy Glaudini (synths, vocals), Halle Saxon (bass, vocals), and Lola Dompé (drums, vocals) believe that the message of change is best served with a backbeat and a cheeky groove, and on Is it Now? they demand we look at the world’s oppressive structures with fresh urgency. Since their last record, 2022’s Excess, Automatic toured with Tame Impala, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Marías and IDLES. The band hits the road once again for a co-headlining tour with Sextile this fall; see dates below.
Perky minimalist grooves and affable pop melodies are a Trojan horse for Automatic to wheel in playful political commentary. Is It Now? doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but it might just inspire you to ask better questions — or at least dance yourself awake in the search.
