Automatic - “Is It Now?” Review
Written by Beau Croxton
Automatic by Erica Snyder
Automatic’s Is It Now? is a fantastic record that scoffs at modern society's pitfalls while encouraging you to tear up the dance floor– it’s joy within an act of resistance.
Since their post-punky debut in 2019, Automatic has garnered plenty of adoration– their 2022 album Excess resulted in multiple tours that included shows supporting Tame Impala, IDLES and The Marias. Their new album Is It Now? is an absolutely essential 2025 release—its top-shelf quality and consistency gives the impression that the band’s only (strict) rule in the studio was “bops and bangers only”.
Thematically, the record expertly dives into modern society’s more weighty issues– and sonically, it's served on some incredibly groovy and irresistible beats that will bob your head and move your feet. It's also overflowing with striking synths and vocal melodies that will be stuck in your head for a very long time after the needle has left the groove.
The opener “Black Box” is a dark, soulful and enchanting song that lures you in. It's a major standout with killer synths that sound like they are powering up an evil robot. Its bluesy, dark and sultry verses are totally infectious, and on the choruses, singer Izzy Glaudini’s upper register is haunting and effective. The track is not just a major highlight on the record, it's one of their best yet.
“mq9” addresses automated warfare over drummer Lola Dompé’s peppy, ESG-esque club-beats and a barrage of percussion that demands you to shake your body. This track is a total banger with cheerleader-esque chanted backing vocals and roto-toms that recall the 70s group, War (...an on-topic reference, intentional or not.). “mq9” is very sonically rich with eerie synth swells , vivid flute sounds , and Halle Saxon’s fretless basslines really accentuate the track.
“Mercury” is one of my top favorite songs I have heard this year– it's an incredible track with cranky synths, furious disco-beats and killer trip-hop breakbeats that lead into epic and unexpected detours. If you aren't dancing between “mq9” and “Mercury–” I’m not sure you have a beating heart. Much like “Black Box”, “Mercury” revels in cryptic and ominous ways– but this time it's an absolute club-smash.
Automatic by Erica Snyder
“Lazy” has the most playful melodies on the entire record— it may be an anti-love song, but the cutesy instrumental has such a cheerful, child-like enthusiasm to it. The drums are extra persistent and the synth melodies are legitimately sticky– they won't leave your head any time soon. The outro is gorgeous, as the synths shimmer into a dream-like state. “Country” is another fun track about leaving the concrete city in favor of the country’s “water from the Earth's springs.” It’s covered in sleek, distorted, Gary Numan-style sci-fi synths and fun lyrics- simply put, it’s another seriously great track in the middle of a major hot streak
Lead single “Is It Now ?” is another total hit– complete with the speedy post-punk the band is known for. It's got fun refrains with a cheerleader-like delivery and speedy hand-claps. The track is about mindless consumerism, and it bridges the gap between Is It Now? and the band's punky beginnings. When a title track is as fantastic as this one, it makes running the full album even sweeter.
“Don’t Wanna Dance” is a cool and more experimental track that gives the record a chance to breathe a little bit, with its dubbed-out, slow groove and spaciness. “Smog Summer” is a dark, punky feeling song about a scorched dystopian future– it displays a yearning for the simple things that have gotten lost in the process. It's a major standout that's robotic, dark and jagged– fans of their early darker material should really dig this one.
Is It Now? album artwork. Out now via Stones Throw
“The Prize” is a ghostly mid-tempo tune that details the political influence of oil. The track hits nicely after the darkness of Smog Summer, as it's a bit of an ethereal haunting with shimmering synths and lyrics like – "You're gonna learn what the cost of the future means”. “Playboi” is a fun little tune about a destructive “little” boy who's “not so big”-- “Wake / Destroy/ Little playboi”. Tracks like this one and “Country” provide fun little detours between serious themes.
The closer “Terminal” drives with furious energy– sonically, this track feels like the band Suicide being sucked into some distorted breakbeats of the nineties. It raves just as much as it rages– its a battlecry about the ongoing genocide in the East, with arabic lyrics that translate to “The coffee boils/And the fire doesn’t go out/ It continues to burn day and night”
Automatic has always released fantastic and reliable music since their debut, but with Is It Now? I believe they have hit their finest full-length yet. The group has always had such an incredible core sound that it hardly needs any tweaking. But with this album, they tweaked things just enough to shake things up in a truly exciting way, while upping their consistency and retaining their ultra-satisfying core elements. Is It Now? is a stunner, and their clever social commentary on top of their most infectious beats yet is the cherry on top. The band continues to evolve in very fresh and tasteful ways, and this irresistible record has so many standouts– it's an embarrassment of riches…( that will be dominating my personal playlists).
Occult Highlights: Mercury, Black Box , Is It Now?, Smog Summer, mq9, Lazy, Terminal
(… but we recommend you spin the whole thing on repeat while grooving your heart out and cussing injustice)