Automatic are back, and they’re not pulling any punches. The LA synth-punk trio has officially announced their third studio album, ‘Is It Now?,’ set to land on September 26 via Stones Throw Records. Alongside the news, they’ve shared a new single, Mercury — a trippy, dream-drenched lullaby that wraps existential dread in a hypnotic groove.
If you’ve been paying attention, you know Automatic don’t mess around. Since dropping ‘Excess’ in 2022, they’ve toured with heavy hitters like Tame Impala, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Marías, and IDLES. Now they’re back with a new body of work that asks big questions with a sly smile — think punk spirit meets postmodern pop, dressed in minimal beats and dark sparkle.
‘Is It Now?’ sees the trio — Izzy Glaudini (synths, vocals), Halle Saxon (bass, vocals), and Lola Dompé (drums, vocals) — dig deeper into the murky mess of modern life. They teamed up with producer Loren Humphrey (Arctic Monkeys, Nice As Fuck), opting for raw takes and a rhythm section that actually breathes. The result? Music that moves like a body and hits like a thought you can’t shake.
Lead single Mercury leans into Stones Throw’s sonic legacy, building on a breakbeat sample with heady trip-hop textures. Izzy describes it as a “dark lullaby” that invites you to feel rather than flee. “Despite the horrible shit constantly happening, life can still be mysterious and beautiful,” she says. “I wanted the verses to have a dreamy sense of melancholy — a reminder not to fall into nihilism or cynicism.”
Listen to Mercury now across all platforms.
Lyrically, Automatic are still aiming their sharp tongue at power structures and cultural decay — but this time around, they’re dancing as they go down swinging. ‘Is It Now?’ doesn’t give you answers, but it might shift the questions. It’s cheeky, urgent, and packed with perky, pointed grooves that feel like dancing with your third eye open.
‘Is It Now?’ track list
- Black Box
- mq9
- Mercury
- Lazy
- Country Song
- Is It Now?
- Don’t Wanna Dance
- Smog Summer
- The Prize
- PlayBoi
- Terminal
Automatic will hit the road this September and October for a co-headlining tour with Sextile. Full dates below — don’t sleep on it.
TOUR DATES
9/16 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
9/17 – Denver, CO @ Meow Wolf Denver
9/19 – Chicago, IL @ Outset
9/20 – Detroit, MI @ Tangent Gallery
9/21 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
9/23 – Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Fairmount
9/24 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
9/25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
9/26 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry at The Fillmore
9/27 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
9/29 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
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 @ Crescent Ballroom
10/9 – Las Vegas, NV @ Swan Dive
10/10 – San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park
10/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo
Ready to get a little weird and a lot awake? ‘Is It Now?’ might be the sonic nudge you didn’t know you needed.
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