Well, don’t be so dramatic
Every dog will have his day
The thing you thought you wanted
Was just the image of control
With their latest single “Lazy,” Los Angeles post-punk trio Automatic turns their gaze inward, sketching the early stages of a relationship where every glance and silence is over-interpreted, every impulse second-guessed. It’s a song about the analysis paralysis of self-doubt, the way longing gets tangled with projection, and how love becomes a battle for agency. Rather than collapsing into melancholy, the band lace their observations with sly humor, presenting a soundtrack to the contradictions of intimacy: hesitant but playful, resigned but quietly rebellious.
“Lazy” slides across the floor with languid, half-lidded grace—new wave nerves, post-punk posture, and a spacey shimmer. The vocals feel like a daydream on a hot afternoon, glued to the couch as the world blurs. An old-school bassline adds subtle bounce; cold, retro synths chime and drone with the warmth of a vintage synth similar to ARP Omni or Mini Moog. A crunchy, unhurried snare keeps time like a marching band on muscle relaxants. When the chorus opens, it’s softly brighter—almost a traditional love song—toggling a melody like that eternal “he loves me/he loves me not” kind of refrain.
Lyrically, “Lazy” zooms in on the earliest, messiest stretch of infatuation—where self-doubt and overthinking circle the block. The song’s quiet twist of the knife—“The thing you thought you wanted / Was just the image of control”—reclaims agency with a sly grin, turning the mirror back on romantic projection. It’s a love song and an anti-love song, a shrug and a stance, delivered with Automatic’s characteristic gallows humor and a spring in the step.
Listen to “Lazy” below:
Automatic’s “Lazy” sets the stage for their forthcoming full-length Is It Now?—out September 26 via Stones Throw—an album where pop minimalism doubles as a smokescreen for sharper critiques: automated warfare, mindless consumerism (spotlit on the title track), and the oil lobby’s manipulations. For the first time, the trio—Izzy Glaudini (synths, vocals), Halle Saxon (bass, vocals), and Lola Dompé (drums, vocals)—teamed with producer Loren Humphrey (Arctic Monkeys, Nice As Fuck, Cameron Winter), splitting recording sessions between New York and L.A. The result casts its net wider, drawing on Patrick Cowley, A Certain Ratio, and Air, while channeling that late-’70s collision of dub and punk.
Since releasing 2022’s Excess, Automatic has toured with Tame Impala, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Marías, and IDLES; this fall, they return to the road for a co-headlining run with Sextile (dates below).
Pre-order Is It Now? on Vinyl and CD here. And pre-save the album on streaming here.
Automatic tour dates
- 9/16: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
- 9/17: Denver, CO @ Meow Wolf Denver
- 9/19: Chicago, IL @ Outset
- 9/20: Detroit, MI @ Tangent Gallery
- 9/21: Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
- 9/23: Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Fairmount
- 9/24: Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
- 9/25: Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
- 9/26: Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry @ The Fillmore
- 9/27: Washington, DC @ Black Cat
- 9/29: Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
- 9/30: Nashville, TN @ The Blue Room at Third Man Records
- 10/1: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
- 10/3: Dallas, TX @ Studio at The Factory
- 10/4: Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
- 10/5: Austin, TX @ Mohawk (Outside)
- 10/6: El Paso, TX @ The Lowbrow Palace
- 10/8: Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
- 10/9: Las Vegas, NV @ Swan Dive
- 10/10: San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
- 10/11: Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo
Follow Automatic:
Photo credit: Erica Snyder
Or via: