Duty by AUTOMATICS

AUTOMATICS gives its first news in 1991; that same year they got to the finals of the National Roland-Rock de Lux magazine battle of the bands with their first demo, which was followed up by three more, distributed through fanzines and specialized mags. By the beginning of 1993 they’re signed by Elefant Records and that same year they release their first Ep, “Drive Wheel”, plus a new demo which gets to the top 1 in a specialized show in Spanish National Radio.

“Cesárea”, their debut album is finally out in September of the next year, after having released an advance single, “Sixty”, which was received to critical acclaim, above all because of their impressive live act, which brought them to participate in all kind of festivals,compilations and tribute records both in Spain and abroad, achieving with an only album what many bands only dream of.

In August 1995 a new single is released, “Slow song”, and in 1996 a new single in CD format, “Ultrasónica”, with three new songs which show their interest for evolution towards unexplored musical territories. February 1997 meant the long-awaited release of their second LP, “Space Rock Melodies”: their exciting vision of neopsychedelic sound and most danceable rock places them among the best bands in the late alternative pop, both Spanish and international. Such a prove of songwriting skills as those embodied in this fantastic CD shows the level of profesionality and quality they have achieved. They spend the rest of the year presenting this record live all throughout Spain, plus doing some escapades outside, like the London-based Eurobasch contest - a sort of Alternative Eurovision!-; in july 1998 they will make an appearance at the Eurockéens Festival at Belfort (France), sharing the bill with such popular acts like GARBAGE, JON SPENCER, PRODIGY, PULP, PORSTISHEAD and many others.

And then came their third album, “Duty”, which turned out to be their swansong as well, for the band decided to split a couple of years later. AUTOMATICS’ sound in this album is still based on shattering, distorted guitars and catchy, cheeky refrains, without overlooking small details and arrangements like the piano on “Like A Girl”, the midtempo that sumptuously opens the album, showing the band at its most sensitive and delicate yet; or the beautiful flute intro in the closing track, “Tell Me What To Say”. Between them, 9 fabulous tracks more, full of power and energy, like the hypercatchy “Tv Preacher” and its synth string arrangements, or the psychedelic “They Will Be Forever”, one of the heights of the album, ornamented by a wild hammond organ courtesy of Marta Ruiz from Spanish garage celebrities SEX MUSEUM. More renowned contributors are Ernesto González -THE PRIBATA IDAHO- and its unmistakable 12-string Rickenbacker on “She Used To Make Smile”, plus Luis Rozalén -Stereophonic´s techno hero HD SUBSTANCE- giving a futuristic touch with his moog to “Electric Captain”, another most remarkably vibrant cut in the album.