“New Beginning” By Automatic

Automatic, release their new album Excess on June 24, 2022 via Stones Throw Records. The album is described as “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.” For the full-length, the band worked with producer Joo Joo Ashworth (Sasami, FROTH).

“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 and 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.

Automatic
Excess
Track Listing
Stones Throw Records

01 – New Beginning
02 – On The Edge
03 – Skyscraper
04 – Realms
05 – Venus Hour
06 – Automaton
07 – Teen Beat
08 – NRG
09 – Lucy
10 – Turn Away

Automatic 2022 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

US (with Osees)

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

Pre-order Excess by Automatic HERE HERE

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