Automatic (Mildlife album)

Automatic is the second studio album by Australian psychedelic jazz fusion group, Mildlife. The album was released 18 September 2020 and peaked at number 8 on the ARIA Charts, the group's first ARIA top 100 charting album.[3]

Automatic
Studio album by
Released18 September 2020[1]
Length41:49[2]
LabelInertia
ProducerMildlife
Mildlife chronology
Phase
(2017)
Automatic
(2020)
Live from South Channel Island
(2022)

At the 2021 ARIA Music Awards, it won Best Jazz Album.[4][5] The track "Rare Air" was nominated for best song at the 2020 Music Victoria Awards.[6]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Rolling Stone Australia     [7]
The AU Review     [8]
Sydney Morning Herald     [9]

Tyler Jenke from Rolling Stone Australia said "Consisting of just six tracks that span a masterful 40 minutes, Automatic is an atmospheric mix of groove-driven psychedelic progressive jazz that shifts between moods as effortlessly as it does instruments." Jenke described the album as "An exercise in euphoria".[7]

Ben Somerford from The AU Review said "Automatic is a fine lesson in restraint and tight finesse. At a time when the world feels foreign, Mildlife's sci-fi alt-rock works perfectly."[8]

Barnaby Smith from Sydney Morning Herald said "Automatic combines elements of prog-rock, such as Jean-Michel Jarre and Mike Oldfield, with the sensual funk of Serge Gainsbourg, touches of classic house music, and indeed the best of DFA Records. On most tracks, synths with that warm and heady vintage feel play a leading role. But as exciting as all this is, the fact that Mildlife mix up genres so exuberantly does not obscure the simple but immensely effective vocal melodies that drift over their bouncy arrangements."[9]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Mildlife

No.TitleLength
1."Rare Air"6:53
2."Vapour"4:22
3."Downstream"6:21
4."Citations"8:51
5."Memory Palace"6:41
6."Automatic"8:41
Total length:41:49

Charts

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Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 8

References

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  1. ^ "Automatic by Mildlife on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Automatic by Mildlife at AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  3. ^ "This week's ARIA CHARTS". amnplify.com.au. September 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  4. ^ Kelly, Vivienne (20 October 2021). "ARIA Awards nominees revealed: Amy Shark & Genesis Owusu lead the charge". The Music Network. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Genesis Owusu, The Kid Laroi, Spacey Jane, RÜFÜS DU SOL big winners at the 2021 ARIA Awards in partnership with YouTube Music". Australian Recording Industry Association. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Previous Winners & Nominees - Music Victoria". Music Victoria Awards. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Mildlife's Automatic Is an Exercise in Euphoria". Rolling Stone Australia. September 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Album Review: Mildlife's sci-fi alt-rock works perfectly with Automatic". The AU Review. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Music reviews: Future Islands, GL, Damian Wright and Mildlife". Sydney Morning Herald. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Mildlife – Automatic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2021.