The Automatic - Not Accepted Anywhere (B-Unique)
2/5
By: Keri Kennedy
These young whippersnappers, hailing from Cowbridge, Wales, are doing quite the opposite of what their debut album title suggests. With a Top 5 hit ('Monster'), Kerrang! Award nomination and a Later... With Jools Holland appearance under their belts, The Automatic are, like Mastercard, getting accepted just about everywhere. Touted by some as the next Hard-Fi, and moving along the same lines as most electro-indie-rock bands to flood the scenes in the last year (think The Killers, The Bravery, The Sunshine Underground) or any other bands beginning with The - you'd think these Welsh kids couldn't go wrong.
With a rise to fame reeking of that of a manufactured band - heading straight to support slots with the likes of The Kooks and missing out the years of slogging the live circuit before getting an inch of interest - you'd be forgiven for assuming there must be something to get your knickers in a twist about. Assume as you wish, but don't get too excited. However, 'Monster' - we suspect to be all about a drunken chav, in the same vein as the Kaiser's 'I Predict A Riot' - is possibly one of the catchiest hits this summer (chorus - "What's that coming over the hill..." - has been heard chanted at festivals countrywide), and debut single 'Raoul' is a decent piece of a disco rock that brings Idlewild to mind.
But singles aside, 'Not Accepted Anywhere' fails to keep up the pace. Anthemic it may be, but it's painfully repetitive, and to boot, keyboardist Alex Pennie's exasperating shouty wail - check prime example 'That's What She Said' - it's just about enough to make anyone switch off. There are heavier elements that hark back to mid-90s rock, like 'By My Side', and some frankly pedestrian lyrics that spoil one of the musically better tracks, 'Keeping Your Eyes Peeled': "No parking in lanes/No parking in lanes/Keep the exits clear I've got to get away".
The Automatic seem to be one of those bands that will be big this summer, and possibly fade once the singles are forgotten. If you want something tuneful yet meaningless to dance and shout along to, 'Not Accepted Anywhere' fits the bill, but anyone after songs that will still be relevant in years to come should look elsewhere.
Artists in this article: The Automatic
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