The Automatic

It’s odd to listen to the music of The Automatic without the background yelping of Alex Pennie; for album number two that’s what we’ve got to prepare ourselves for however as Pennie is no longer in the band and all new songs are therefore yelpless. ‘Steve McQueen’ is the lead single for the bands second album ‘This Is A Fix’, at first I wasn’t too sure about it but the more I listen to it the more I love it. The lyrics are dreadful, the track is hugely catchy however and the driving guitar riff throughout the track really helps to progress the music and make the bands sound come across incredibly powerfully.

The song structure is very similar to that of ‘Monster’, the bands sound hasn’t progressed much; it hasn’t really changed at all in fact other than the aforementioned lack of screams and screeches. Some may argue that The Automatic without the screams is a far more attractive prospect, others however will complain that Alex Pennie was what made this band so special; what made The Automatic just that little bit different and interesting. Personally I’m undecided as to which side of the bands sound I prefer the most, what I will say on the issue however is that I love both.

If the yelping Pennie put you off with album number one then ‘This Is A Fix’ could well be the album for you on the basis of its title track (which you can download completely for free) and on the evidence of this lead single ‘Steve McQueen’ also. This is a great track, you might not like it too much at first but stick with it and I promise you it’s a grower.

The track has been produced by Butch Walker (Fall Out Boy, American Hi-Fi, The Academy Is…) and his production of the track truly does come across supremely well. There’s a definite Jimmy Eat World feel and clarity about the music here and if you can take the fact that the lyrics here are incredibly bad then you should absolutely love this. Let’s face it though; lyrics have never been a great strength with the music of The Automatic; this is a band that has in the past made choruses out of such lines as ‘Let’s go see Raoul’, and ‘What’s that coming over the hill, is it a monster?’ also – hardly the height of lyrical intelligence.

Expect big things of The Automatic in 2008. Album number one is classified Gold and with ‘This Is A Fix’ The Automatic could well succeed further still and I truly do hope that the bands second album is a huge hit here in the UK and perhaps even stateside too.

Label: B-Unique Records
Release Date: August 18th 2008

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It’s been hard to avoid this young Cardiff based band in recent months regardless of whether or not you like them. Most notably has been the fact that everywhere you go, someone seems to be singing along to ‘Monster’, usually changing the theme of the song. Just yesterday in fact there was a young lad that looked about 11 or 12, and as someone approached he sang ‘What’s that coming over the hill, is it a homosexual?’ Not the best fitting word change I’ve heard, but still – it seemed to impress his mates. It is clear that this track is getting stuck in the heads of people both young and old, and all I can say about the album is; there’s more of that where that came from, with the album jam packed full of catchy tracks where any of the twelve tracks on the display here could easily be released as a single.

The album kicks off with the fiery ‘That’s What She Said’, with the band quickly getting into their stride and showing what they are capable of. From here we begin to move through a few familiar tracks such as ‘Raoul’, ‘Recover’, and the aforementioned ‘Monster’ which have all been released as singles. I have a feeling that ‘Recover’ may be re-released at some stage, much like label mates Kaiser Chiefs did with ‘Oh My God’, as it is probably one of the strongest, if not the strongest track on the album, however when it was first released the band did not have the notoriety that they currently have. It would make sense to re-release this single as I’m sure it would do well, however whether it will be or not is yet to be seen.

The band makes their thoughts known about the current state of commercial music in this album, stating on catchy track ‘You Shout You Shout You Shout You Shout’ that there is ‘so much trash on the radio today.’ In this one they also make reference to the Panic! At The Disco album ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’, and in many respects it can be seen that the band are much like them in that they are also having great success with an extremely catchy debut album. Another thing these bands have in common is that they are both synth heavy, and it can be seen that this is definitely the sound of 2006; to forefront a synth in your music. Some may argue that the band have been handed it all on a plate, however I’m sure that the band would disagree with this and argue that they’ve worked hard for what they have achieved.

There are many great tracks on this album, aside from the obvious single releases, and the aforementioned ‘You Shout You Shout You Shout You Shout’, other tracks that automatically spring to mind are ‘Seriously…I Hate You Guys’, ‘Team Drama’, and epic album closer ‘Rats’. What is most notable about this band is that there isn’t a single track on this album that doesn’t have an astonishing chorus. I feel that the choruses are often the driving point of this band, with the immaculate vocal styling of Rob coupling with the screams of keyboardist Pennie providing a perfect contrast and working brilliantly throughout the album. The band are extremely catchy, with the synths, screams, and lead vocals creating a perfect blend when placed alongside the booming bass lines, fiery guitar riffs, and powerful drum beats.

The Automatic are not always instant, for instance the first few times I heard ‘Raoul’ I really didn’t see what anyone saw in it, however with repeated listens it really began to grow on me and became one of my most heavily played songs for a while. Once you get used to the bands quirky style, which can range from disco-punk to Indie, and then onto pop-punk seemingly at the flick of a switch with flashes of Screamo added into the mix every so often, you really begin to enjoy their music and admire ‘Not Accepted Anywhere’ for the range of genres it manages to cover in its 40 minutes. It is clear that The Automatic have varied influences, ranging from the likes of At The Drive-In and Refused, to Radiohead and Blur.

‘Not Accepted Anywhere’ entered the official UK album charts at number 3, a testament to the bands current popularity. They prove to me with this album that they deserve all the success that they are achieving at the moment as it is a great album especially with it being their debut. It is not often that a band releases such an exciting debut, and when their young age is taken into account, with the fact that they are still quintessentially still teenagers, this achievement just seems even greater. I feel that with age this is a band that we will see blossom, releasing a number of albums in the process – hopefully they wont just be another flash in the pan throwaway rock band that we see so many of in this day and age.

Released: 19th June 2006
Label: B-Unique

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This is the latest single from the Cambridge four piece that is The Automatic, and sees the band release another amazing single. Following on from the success of ‘Raoul,’ this is bound to do well and should find itself up near the top of the charts come Sunday. I think that this is the best single that the band have released thus far, and their album which is due out on the 12th is sure to be full of great tracks – I cant wait to hear it.

‘Monster’ is near on 4 minutes of pure disco-punk gold, as the band blast through another ballsy track that is sure to put a smile on your face. If you were a fan of ‘Raoul’ then you’re bound to love ‘Monster’ – it’s an absolutely amazing track, probably one of the best I have heard all year in fact. The lead vocals work perfectly with the shouted backing vocals and make way for a brilliant track of impeccable musicianship. I genuinely cant even begin to grasp the concept of anyone actually not enjoying this song as it is absolutely amazing, proving that the UK still has bands that can rock, and do it in style.

You’re unlikely to come across a more exciting UK band than The Automatic this year – this band are most certainly going places. Sure, ‘Not Accepted Anywhere’ might be the only album the band ever release, or the only album anyone’s ever going to be interested in, but as it stands The Automatic are quite rightly taking their place as one of the leading UK bands of the moment. Make sure you go out and by this single and make sure The Automatic get the Number 1 under their belts that they so deserve.

Released: 5th June 2006
Label: B-Unique

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This is the second single from Welsh teenagers The Automatic, and although for me was not an instant classic, with repeated listens it is fast becoming my favourite song at the moment. The band have recently returned from this years NME tour, and this will surely have made the band a few new fans, as well as impressing old ones.

‘Raoul’ has a driving guitar riff which continues throughout the song with its remarkably catchy rhythm. The vocals compliment this and enhance the tracks addictive qualities. I really feel that The Automatic have produced a track that they can be proud of in ‘Raoul’ – and if they continue this fine form with their album which will surely be gracing the streets in the next couple of months, The Automatic will be well on their way to super stardom.

Released: 27th March 2006
Label: B-Unique

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