Mercury offers first glimpse into Automatic’s new material

Automatic — Izzy Glaudini (synths, vocals), Halle Saxon (bass, vocals), and Lola Dompé (drums, vocals) — will release their third album Is It Now? on September 26 through Stones Throw. The record expands on the band’s minimal framework, introducing trip-hop textures, breakbeat samples, and slower, more deliberate rhythms. “Mercury,” the first track made public, combines looped electronics with a subdued jazz sensibility. According to Glaudini, the lyrics reject cynicism without defaulting to optimism. Saxon points to the Stones Throw back catalogue as a reference point when writing the bassline.

Title: Is It Now?
Artist: Automatic
Release Date: 2025-09-26
Genres: Art Rock, Indie Rock, Trip Hop
Label: Stones Throw
Description: Automatic’s third album Is It Now? arrives September 26 on Stones Throw, introduced by the track “Mercury” and produced by Loren Humphrey.

The group recorded with Loren Humphrey, whose production credits include Arctic Monkeys, Nice As Fuck, and Cameron Winter. Sessions focused on live performance and extended takes, moving away from grid-locked precision. Compared to Excess (2022), the result is less rigid, often circling around mid-tempo repetition and open-ended phrasing.

Following their last release, Automatic toured with Tame Impala, The Marías, and IDLES. In parallel, the members pursued unrelated paths: Glaudini shifted toward solo production work and animal rescue; Saxon enrolled in botany courses; Dompé relocated outside the city and now spends much of her time around horses.

The group formed in Los Angeles in 2017. Dompé previously played drums in Blackblack, a band she joined at age 13. She is also the daughter of Kevin Haskins (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets). Glaudini studied film before turning to music. Saxon moved from Austin, Texas. The name Automatic was taken from a track on Beauty and the Beat by The Go-Go’s. Their debut Signal appeared in 2019, followed by Excess in 2022. Their setup remains unchanged: sequencers, bass, drums, synths — no guitars, and minimal vocal ornamentation.

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