Music

It’s difficult to see these punk-poppers having anything but a firework career, exploding brightly before they crash to earth just as quickly.

In sound, the four teens vaguely recall another flash-in-the-pan success: The Bravery. And, like that pouting NYC combo, The Automatic have two killer singles (‘Monster’ and ‘Rauol’) on an otherwise frustratingly
derivative album.

They have a varied appeal which should take in those fond of The Killers’ bouncy synth pop and (younger) fans of fellow Welshmen Funeral For A Friend – The Automatic’s cute screamo yelps sound like children ingesting helium. ‘Rauol’ even sounds like a raw, punky cast-off from The Kaiser Chiefs’ ‘Employment’ album and, just to prove their current worth, recently featured on ‘Coronation Street’ (kerching!). As teenage debuts go, then, it’s a danceable and impassioned affair. But they’ll need more than spirit when these jerky, one-paced songs reveal a lack of, say, The Kooks’ pop sophistication.

What might save them is their sense of humour and a lack of conceit. They bring kazoos on stage, recently covered Kanye West’s ‘Gold Digger’ on Jo Wiley’s Radio 1 show, and their lyrics display a charming naivety. For now, it’s a case of hoping they don’t get spoiled.