AUTOMATIC

Automatic self describe their second album ‘Excess’ as “That fleeting moment when what was once cool quickly turned and became mainstream, all for the sake of consumerism.” Think Bladerunner themes crossed with New Romantics sound and a live aesthetic that verges on an acid trip at a Warhol party. Izzy, Lola and Halle recognise both the disturbing anxiety of our times whilst also recognising the irrelevance of long held beliefs in the wave of the new. It’s new but it’s old, it’s fun but it’s serious, but most of all, it’s smart women playing their instruments in a way that invites you in for a beautiful slap in the face. Here’s the band on where they’re currently at after their recent Australian tour.

There is (happily) a resurgence in post punk-esque sound at the moment, where do you think it’s from/why do you think it’s happening?

Izzy: I think music is a reflection of what is going on politically and culturally. Trump was elected, brexit happened, there’s ever worsening climate collapse, and we’re seeing this creepy neo-nazi resurgence around the world. When Obama was president, there was such a sense of innocence and dreamy optimism in indie music.  The pendulum swings. It would feel tone deaf for us to write carefree party music. We do like happy music though!


I have also noticed a great new surge of all female identifying rock bands, do you think it’s a case of we’ve always been here and now are getting a stage or is it more that women are angry and ready?

Izzy: There’s been a shift in how music is made and discovered, the (predominantly male) industry gatekeepers are basically  irrelevant at this point. Just from my own experience, it’s a lot less intimidating knowing you can self - record and self-release on the internet.  It’s easier to pursue a career in music as a woman when you don’t explicitly need male approval to make it.

You guys are on a hectic festival touring schedule after years of introspective lockdown. Is it weird railing against the consumerism you saw while writing the album then touring sold out shows?

Izzy: The whole thing is weird! In general making music is such an insular and private thing amongst the 3 of us, to see that anyone besides us and our Moms care is still a bit shocking. But once you get over that head trip, its a relief to realize we aren’t alone in our values. So, I guess it’s a good sign there’s a lot of like minded people.


American politics has been, to put it mildly, a hotbed of world changing anxiety in terms of human rights for the better part of the last decade. This is not an attack on your country I can safely say the same for here. What has this unrest brought up in your thoughts about your country that maybe weren’t previously there?

Izzy: Living in America feels more and more like living in a cartoon. There are no real grounding values besides the pursuit of wealth and popularity. LA is particularly bad with this. Most of the jobs I’ve had out here have been working for very wealthy people (babysitting, housekeeping, personal assisting) and I can assure you they are all sociopaths.  Unless you own property, or have cash to spend as a consumer, you’re not really viewed as a human being. So, yeah,  I’m basically a Marxist at this point, it’s the only thing that makes sense to me.


Is part of the creation of nostalgic sci-fi worlds to reflect the unrest part of dealing with it for you guys?

Izzy: The fantasy aspect is just a way for us to have a bit of fun when we’re writing about dark topics. If the visuals are bright and maybe a bit glamorous it’s less of a drag to take in the message.


Izzy said, “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,” Which specific values do you have a desire to resist at the moment?

Izzy: I’m pretty over social media. I think at this point the bad outweighs the good and it breeds a lot of  narcissism and anxiety. Smaller bands don’t have the luxury to opt out of it though, it’s become a necessity for creative survival. But to answer the question, I guess the value that it represents is narcissism. It is just like the myth of Narcissus, the world is collapsing around us, we are wasting away,  and yet we’re all so fixated on our own silly reflections.


Was there anything in particular about the aesthetic of the late 70s/early 80’s era that added to your want to use it for this project?

Izzy: Maybe it’s because a lot of our founding influences were from that time. The past is easy to romanticize. We also just thought certain aesthetics looked cooooool.


In terms of your crossovers with fashion (e.g Celine campaigns, etc) do you get to choose what aligns with your aesthetic at the time?

Izzy: Usually the brand comes to us, and we can say yes or no. Beyond that we don’t have a say in anything style -wise. That’s totally fine with us, we’re pretty busy touring and writing. It would be fun though, to have a more in-depth collaboration with a designer in the future.


People are constantly trying to identify your style with references to ‘motorik, krautrock, new wave, art rock…etc’ what are your words for it?

Izzy: This is our least favorite thing on the planet to try to explain haha. We kinda just mumble about bass drums and synth.


Obviously film influence is an integral part of your work. What are each of your favourite films ever?

Lola: Twister

Halle: Lord of the Rings

Izzy: City Lights


Have you ever thought about doing some film soundtracking? I would absolutely go and see/listen to something if you guys were involved it would be so rad.

Izzy: Yes we would absolutely love to. We’ve always joked that our songs are fake soundtracks.


People talk about Lola’s dad a lot but if you were all sisters who would be your fantasy mum? e.g mine is Debbie Harry

Izzy: Debbie harry! I’ll steal that one. We can be siblings.

Listen to Excess here, see more from Automatic here.

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