Automatic - "Black Box"

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Photo by Erica Snyder

Synth pop trio Automatic have a new single out before their new full length comes out Friday. "Black Box" leans back into the synth side of their sound while still sounding like a rock track. Plus, the song grooves quite hard. It couldn't possibly be more dance friendly, and while most songs that are this heavy on synth sound like 80's throwbacks, "Black Box" is a completely modern take on the genre. It's a fun single, possibly because it has such an eerie feel to it. Automatic have an oddly hypnotic and fully engaging song with this one, and if you weren't already on the bandwagon, you'll be joining us within the next four minutes.

Izzy Glaudini (synths/vocals) says of the band's latest single:

“The title ‘Black Box’ refers to the black box in a crashed plane. The repetitive synth is supposed to suggest a plane gliding as it crashes/ an alarm distress call. I was listening to the Leonard Cohen album The Future a lot around the time the lyrics were written. It's a pretty straightforward critique of people that have sold out on a large scale, specifically within creative industries. Thierry Mugler said, 'art used to tell money what to do, now money tells art what to do and the world is a less interesting place because of it.”

You can watch the video for "Black Box" below. Is It Now? is due out September 26 on Stones Throw, and is available to pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Automatic, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video and include a show tonight (September 24) at Brighton Music Hall in Boston.


9/24: Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

9/25: Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw

9/26: Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry @ The Fillmore

9/27: Washington, DC @ Black Cat

9/29: Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall

9/30: Nashville, TN @ The Blue Room at Third Man Records

10/1: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade

10/3: Dallas, TX @ Studio at The Factory

10/4: Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall

10/5: Austin, TX @ Mohawk (Outside)

10/6: El Paso, TX @ The Lowbrow Palace

10/8: Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom

10/9: Las Vegas, NV @ Swan Dive

10/10: San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park

10/11: Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo

11/12: Brighton, UK @ Daltons

11/13: London, UK @ The Lexington

11/15: Berlin, DE @ puschenfest

11/17: Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn  

11/19: Metz, FR @ BAM

11/20: Paris, FR @ Petit Bain

11/21: La Rochelle, FR @ La Sirene

11/24: Milan, IT @ Circolo Arci Bellezza

11/25: Prague, CZ @ Bike Jesus

11/27: Munich, DE @ Milla

On Repeat...

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