Automatic Lovers
Automatic Lovers

THE REVIEW

Young and noisy, without a doubt—arrogant, too.

The fact is, the album cover reminded me of the Dead Boys' debut thanks to the overwhelming black and those diagonal lines, and watching Pablito's moves on stage, I couldn't help but think he'd seriously studied the Dead Boys’ live video at CBGB, especially Stiv Bators' attitude.

Pablo is the singer for Automatic Lovers—a name stolen from a song off the Vibrators' second LP—and alongside him are Arturo on guitar, Davide on bass, and Juan on drums. They're from Madrid and, precisely ten years after the rise of Amyl And The Sniffers, they're the only band I’d stake my reputation on and swear they’re truly outstanding.

I first suspected as much last year, when they came out of nowhere with a literally stunning single, made up of the original “Boston Brats”, which I immediately slotted among the classics of the new punk’n’roll century, and a cover of “Who Cares If Tomorrow Never Comes”, originally by a completely unknown-to-me Pennsylvania group from the ’80s, Kirk And The Jerks—an absolutely surprising discovery, to say the least.

Their self-titled debut album confirms all the wonderful feelings I've been carrying around for over a year now.

Eleven tracks: it kicks off at full speed with “Wasting Time” and wraps up in less than half an hour with “Twist And Die”, always at top speed.

Two covers: one is “High Degree” by Texans Next—a track I didn’t even know existed, having stopped at their excellent 1979 EP, convinced that’s where their story ended. The sound echoes what you find on compilations like “Killed By Death” and “Bloodstains”, opening like a vintage Chuck Berry number; it could almost be X from “Wild Gift”, if not for the hard turn it takes right after, and how great is that short instrumental interlude after a minute or so, plus Arturo’s solo, which so effortlessly blends Chuck Berry with Angus Young. The other is “Pushin’ Too Hard”—not the Seeds’ version but the Vibrators’, faithful to the original yet with a decided punch that tips it into Led Zeppelin’s “Rock’n’Roll” territory; it’s probably nearly 50 years of attitude etched into grooves that deep.

The rest is all original: starting with the aforementioned “Wasting Time” and “Twist And Die”, Automatic Lovers trade mostly in the ground between Dead Boys and Heartbreakers, as also heard in “Out Of Control” and “Hardbeat”, yet allow themselves some asides in “WGTEYEO”—a song that could easily have slotted onto “Condition Red” by the Red Rockers, as dynamic as it is perfect in its straightforward simplicity. Then there’s an English flavor to the sequence beginning with a “Shoot On Me” that's Clashian to the core, moving into a “What Do I Know” reminiscent of Stiff Little Fingers’ “Nobody’s Heroes” era, arriving at a “Take My Hand” so good I can barely find a frame of reference.

Today Amy is 30, the Sniffers have been tearing up stages for a decade, and there’s no way they could even dream of sounding like they did in 2016 anymore—and to me that’s their greatest achievement, more than even all those good vibes they've given me.

So, as I see it, Automatic Lovers have stepped in to pick up the baton and promise me another ten years of great vibrations.

See you in 2036.