Automatic Releases 'New Beginning' from Upcoming Album 'Excess'
Their new album will be released on June 24.
By: Michael Major Mar. 08, 2022
Automatic - the LA trio of Izzy Glaudini (synths, lead vocals), Lola Dompé (drums, vocals) and Halle Saxon (bass, vocals) - is back with their second album. On Excess, Automatic synthesizes a new strain of retrofuturist motorik pop. The album rides the imaginary edge where the '70s underground met the corporate culture of the '80s - or, as the band puts it, "That fleeting moment when what was once cool quickly turned and became mainstream, all for the sake of consumerism."
Using this point in time as a lens through which to view the present moment, Excess takes aim at corporate culture and extravagance. The overarching themes of alienation and escapism emerged as Automatic put Excess together, taking writing retreats to flesh out the new songs before decamping to the studio for sprint recording sessions with producer Joo Joo Ashworth (Sasami, FROTH).
On album opener and lead single, "New Beginning" - which was inspired by the Swedish sci-fi film Aniara - Automatic reject the false hope of leaving behind a scorched planet and searching for "a better place", at a moment when the ultra-rich are eyeing manned space travel: "In the service of desire / We will travel far away". IImagining 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." In the video directed by Ambar Navarro, a trip to space starts out fun before taking a dark turn.
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. But Excess' final message is one of solidarity, rather than despair. As Izzy puts it, "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."
Automatic HIT THE ROAD with Parquet Courts next month and have confirmed performances with Tame Impala, plus a spot at LA's 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). This September they've confirmed a quick West Coast run with Osees - more shows are to be announced. See below for a full list of dates and visit https://automatic.band/ for tickets and more info.
Excess sees its release across digital platforms and vinyl via Stones Throw on June 24th. Pre-order it on vinyl and deluxe eco-mix vinyl: sthrow.com/automatic.
Watch the new music video here:
Tour Dates
US (with Parquet Courts)
Apr 22: Seattle, WA - Showbox
Apr 23: Vancouver, BC - Imperial
Apr 25: Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
Apr 27: Oakland, CA - Fox
Apr 28: Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern
US
May 14-15: Los Angeles, CA - Cruel World Festival
US (with Tame Impala)
May 24 : Wilmington, NC - Live Oak Bank Pavilion
May 26 : Columbus, OH - KEMBA Live! Festival Stage
UK & EUROPE
May 28: UK, London - Wide Awake
May 29: UK, Manchester - Yes
May 30: UK, Leeds - Headrow House
May 31: UK, Brighton - Green Door Store
Jun 01: FR, Lille - L'Aéronef
Jun 02: FR, Paris - L'international
Jun 03: FR, Angers - Levitation
Jun 04: ES, Barcelona - Primavera
Jun 05: ES, Barcelona - Primavera
Jun 08: IT, Ravenna - Beaches Brew
Jun 09: CH, Neuchatel - Festineuch
Jun 10: CH, Aarau - Kiff (with Choir Boy & Soft Kill)
Jun 11: DE, Mannheim - Maifeld Derbi
Jun 12: NL, Hilvarenbeek - Best Kept Secret
Jun 13: NL, Amsterdam - Bitterzoet
Jun 14: NL, Nijmegen - Merleyn
Jun 15: DE, Berlin - UFO Sound Studios
Jun 16: DE, Koln - Bumann & Sohn
Jun 17: BE, Charlerois - Fete De La Musique
Jun 18: NL, Den Haag - Grauzone
Sep 05: San Francisco, CA - Chapel
Sep 06: San Francisco, CA - Chapel
Sep 07: San Francisco, CA- Chapel
Sep 09: Portland, OR - Roseland
Sep 10: Seattle, WA - Neumos
Sep 11: Seattle, WA - Neumos
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