The Automatic - This is a Fix

ALT.PUNK

What a difference one little personnel change can make. After ousting squawk-happy keyboardist Alex Pennie, The Automatic drafted in Paul Mullen of the criminally-underrated yourcodenameis:milo, and his influence has leant the Welsh act quite a different sensibility.

With Mullen in place, the genesis of This is a Fix has been protracted and well-documented. The result is a more speculative collection of tracks, with the locus firmly away from the indie-disco scene that ‘Monsters’ graced for so long. Melodically stronger and, at times, admirably adventuresome, This is a Fix ably demonstrates the potential of a band at an important crossroads in their creative impetus.