The Automatic

Electro-punk quartet the Automatic came together in Cardiff, Wales, during autumn 2003. The original four members, performing at that stage under the name White Rabbit, were singer/bassist Robin Hawkins, guitarist James Frost, keyboardist Alex Pennie and drummer Iwan Griffiths. Early in 2005 they adopted the Automatic moniker and recorded a demo that attracted Probation Management, an affiliate of the Cardiff-based FF Vinyl label. Probation forwarded the recording to the B-Unique imprint, which promptly offered the band a publishing contract reported to be worth 500,000 pounds. By the close of that year the group had become a press favorite among excitable U.K. outlets, and the single “Raoul” reached the British Top 40 in spring 2006. Its successor, “Monster,” climbed into the Top Five shortly afterward, entering the chart entirely on the basis of advance downloads. The band’s debut album, Not Accepted Anywhere, arrived in June 2006 and peaked at number three. A U.S. reissue the next year appeared under the title The Automatic Automatic. Alex Pennie departed in 2007; his replacement was Paul Mullen, formerly of Yourcodenameis:Milo. The revised lineup traveled to Los Angeles to make the follow-up This Is A Fix with producer Butch Walker. Issued in 2008, the record suffered from inadequate distribution and marketing by B-Unique, which limited its commercial impact. The band reconvened to complete their third album, Tear The Signs Down, released in 2010; “Interstate” served as the lead single. They subsequently elected to enter a short hiatus while pursuing separate endeavors.