Following the release of 2022’s Kraftwerk-by-way-of-Melody’s-Echo-Chamber sophomore LP Excess, LA trio Automatic resurfaced earlier this year on a Light in the Attic compilation dedicated to the power of Lou Reed’s heart. The late Velvet Underground frontman’s mid-’80s new wave cut felt like an apt pick for the group, who brought a Lou-like cool to the restrained vocals and instrumentation on the track—you can basically hear Reed’s opaque aviators in Izzy Glaudini’s subdued vocal performance.
But now, you don’t have to. The group is sharing a video for the cover today that was directed by Ambar Navarro, whose growing resume of vintage-washed visuals includes work with Weyes Blood, John Carpenter, and The Lemon Twigs, in addition to several prior Automatic collaborations. In the clip, all three members channel Reed into their performance of the song, with additional cameos from Nico and Warhol impersonators. “Cosplaying as Lou Reed for this video was the lifetime dream we didn’t know we had,” the band shares. “It just felt right.”
The video lands the day before Automatic hit the road for a month-long string of dates opening for The Marías across North America, with an additional mid-August date playing alongside Mary Jane Dunphe. Check out the video below, and find those dates listed here.
