INTERVIEW: Automatic on their second album 'Excess': "Music that hasn’t been touched by modern recording procedures just hits different"

Image: Dana Trippe

LA based trio Automatic - made up of Izzy Glaudini (lead vocals, synths), Lola Dompé (drums, vocals) and Halle Saxon-Gaines (bass) - have been releasing music since 2019 and at the end of June they released their second album Excess.

Straddling the line between the 1970s and 1980s while remaining contemporary to today, the album is a glorious melding of the music of the era which in many ways saw the birth of the modern music industry - for better or worse. “That fleeting moment when what was once cool quickly turned and became mainstream all for the sake of consumerism,” as the band explain.

Moody synth and electro pop form the foundations of the soundscape across the album, while leaning heavily into indie and post-punk. Recent single ‘Skyscraper’ exemplifies their sound possibly the best. Mid-tempo shot through with synths, it mixes pop sensibilities with a blurry, broody psychedelic indie feel with the chant of ‘change’ sounding exactly like it was lifted from an experimental post-punk track circa 1979.

‘Automaton’ is a perky embracing of the electronic pop of the 1980s, with manic synth ping pong beats and mesmerising, extended synth instrumental breaks. ‘Realms’ dials the pace back and masterfully mixes what could almost be prog rock with stabs of electronic howls and plinky beats to create a swirly, dreamy track that you almost ride along, trance like, until it winds down to a single beat.

‘NRG’ is a pure new wave track with shouty vocals embedded in frantic beats so expertly created you could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a band from the 1980s. Closing track ‘Turn Away’ is something of an outlier on the album and has more in common with the music of the 1960s than later decades, with its chomping beat, ethereal vocals and slightly hippie feel. Towards the end it abandons all 60s pretence and reminds you this Automatic as the song breaks into a synth laden close.

Excess is an album that comes with multiple layers of joy. The band are clearly masters of their genre and they have crafted sounds which perfectly represent a period of time, lovingly and without a hint of pastiche. There is a nostalgia in the music, particularly for those who grew up in the era, however it is not in any way a tribute album. Perhaps as a credit to the staying power of the sounds of the 1980s, it is also an album very much of the now - fresh, exciting with an irresistible sheen. For late night discos or quiet contemplative moments, Excess caters to every mood and is one to have on your playlist right now. We recently caught up with Halle from the band to find out more.

Hi Halle! Thanks so much for taking the time to fill in this Q&A. How is everything in the world of Automatic right now?
We are very concerned about our government, but other than that, we’re doing well!

Your second album Excess has been released and I have to say it is pretty incredible - congratulations! You have said the album is about how as a society we can be conditioned to certain values alongside a desire to resist those values, as well as the impact of corporate culture and extravagance. Can you tell me a little bit more about your intention when making this album, and the message, or ‘feels’ you want it to project?
Thank you so much! Yes, we are talking about the values that are ingrained in our culture by the capitalist system that we chose long ago. Convenience and the acquisition of things are top priorities, even over the health of the planet and people. We’re also aware of how difficult it is to survive living any other way because a dependency has been created on this way of life.

Can you tell me a little about the creative process for album?
It’s worth mentioning that 99% of this album was created in quarantine; we were all isolating and a bit scared to meet up at the practice space. We would rent Airbnb’s in the desert for a few days at a time and bring all our gear and jam that way. Finally, we recorded at Studio 22 in Cypress Park with JooJoo Ashworth.

Sonically, the album trades on 1970s and 1980s sounds of disco, funk, synth and indie-punk. What do you love about this era of music and how does this kind of soundscape inspire you?
It’s a lot easier to be inspired by music from that era because it was before any sort of digitalisation was brought into the recording process. We try to mimic that sound by recording to tape, but it’s still different because it’s then printed onto the computer for mixing and mastering. Music that hasn’t been touched by modern recording procedures just hits different. But it’s hard to do now…

I’m in love with the track ‘Automaton’ which has a really great synth beat, awesome vocals and just overall has such a cool sound. Can you tell me a little about the inspiration behind this song?
Thank you! Izzy the synth player was inspired by Portishead for that synth beat. That song is about a girl realising that we’re all robots serving the capitalist matrix and she wants to rebel against that.

You’ve recently released the video for ‘Skyscraper’ which is just great and has some scenes that will resonate with those unhappy in their office job! What was it like to make?
We knocked the whole video out in a day and got the edit back in like a week or maybe less which was so impressive. The director Alexandra Thurmond was just so pro and awesome to work with. It was just a fun, efficient day!

For those who may be new to Automatic, can you tell me how the band formed?
Sure, basically Lola the drummer came to me saying she wanted to start a band with bass and drums. Separately, I had recently met Izzy the synth player and she was playing guitar in her own band and had this beautiful voice so I was like, we gotta get her in on this. Initially, Lola wasn’t keen on the idea. However, I introduced both of them at a Crush show (Cole and Zumi of the Black Lips’ side project) on the Ace hotel rooftop. I asked Izzy if she could come jam with us on synth instead of guitar so that she could start at the same musical level as me and Lola, and it was magical.

Excess talks about consumerism and corporate culture and how it can destroy what was once special, unique and cool. In our society money is valued so much more than creativity and the arts, its a big question but what is one thing you recommend people do to loosen our addiction to consumerism?
There are so many different things you can do to approach this depending on your situation. If you have time, you could stop buying certain things and make them instead, like hummus or Christmas gifts. If you don’t have time for that, a different thing you could do would be to stop supporting major companies like Nestle or Amazon. You may think you need Amazon but I swear you don’t. If you refuse to let go of Amazon like most people, you could find ways to share things that you have with your community, for free or trade. Capitalism has made us into very isolated creatures, when you have a community you are less dependent on ‘the man’. Basically just thinking about what you do with your money, and moving towards doing nothing with it… it’s economical! (For the individual *wink wink*.)

The music industry has not traditionally been an industry that has been kind to women, in the main because it has been run by older, white, straight men since its inception. What are your thoughts on gender equality and sexism in the music industry?
There are still fewer women in important roles in the music industry. There are also not enough women sound people at venues, and the ones that do exist have to be really tough. I also feel like female musicians are still put in a box and measured against a male approach to music, and aren’t free to just be whatever they want like SWMs… All that just goes to say that if you’re a woman, get out there and do it your way!

Excess is out now via Stones Throw Records. You can buy and stream here.

To keep up with all things Automatic you can follow them on Instagram, Bandcamp and on their website.