In the service of desire
We will travel far away
Los Angeles trio Automatic returns with their second album, Excess. Their latest single, New Beginnings, is a brilliant romp through the apocalypse holding hands with their unique strain of retrofuturist motorik pop.
The pulsing track, “riding the imaginary edge of 70s underground meets 80s corporate culture”, both lampoons and embraces the siren song of extravagant consumerist culture in the bleak, isolationist era of late capitalism. Scorched earth? No worries, there’s a better place out there…
Bringing to mind the terrifying visions of Fad Gadget and DEVO, the sci-fi of Gary Numan, and the gorgeous retro-feel of Ladytron, Automatic knocks it out of the park with the video clip directed by Ambar Navarro. Inspired by the Swedish sci-fi film Aniara, in this narrative Automatic reject the false hope of manned space travel…a more corporate Major Tom tale. Imagining the “nihilism and loneliness” of attempting to escape the planet once unchecked consumerism has reached its logical outcome, the song pictures being “stranded in a space-void with no connection to Earth or humanity.”
Watch the video for “New Beginning” below:
Automatic is comprised of Izzy Glaudini (synths, lead vocals), Lola Dompé (drums, vocals), and Halle Saxon (bass, vocals). “New Beginnings” comes off their forthcoming album Excess, due out 24 June via Stones Throw.
Pre-order it on vinyl and deluxe eco-mix vinyl here
The mirrored bodice on the album’s cover – shot at California’s Salton Sea, a site of environmental decay – reflects the present-day Automatic explores on Excess: distorted and chaotic with a sleek sheen. The final message, however, is one of solidarity rather than despair. “The record is about what happens to our psyches when we’re conditioned to certain values, the consequences of those values, and a desire to resist them,” says Glaudini.
Automatic hits the road this spring and summer, and have announced shows with Tame Impala, Parquet Courts and Osees. The band have also confirmed a performance at Cruel World Festival before heading to Europe for a run of shows which includes Wide Awake (UK), Primavera Sound (Spain), and Best Kept Secret (Netherlands).
See below for a full list of dates. Find tickets and more info here.
Follow Automatic:
Tour Dates:
US (with Parquet Courts)
US
UK & EUROPE
US (with Osees)
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