Following their energetic debut single, ‘Straight Back On It’, Young Fathers are back with their latest track, ‘Automatic’. It’s a fluid fusion of eccentric electro beats blended into a hip-hop foundation that does the Scottish trio’s growing reputation justice. Their recent tour with Simian Mobile Disco resulted in the co-produced ‘Turn Up The Dial’ which found itself on SMD’s 2009 album, ‘Temporary Pleasure’. This, coupled with the fact that the lads have already appeared with Shaun Ryder’s Black Grape, Dizzee Rascal, The Noisettes, La Roux, and Grandmaster Flash, highlights their ever-increasing popularity. This AA single includes the heavier B-side, ‘Dancing Mantaray’, which, produced by dubstep’s Ginz, is slowed-down, chilled-out and synthed-up in relation to the A-side, and as a result loses the gripping nature that makes you want to listen to ‘Automatic’ again and again. ‘Dancing Mantaray’ is nonetheless well worth a listen. With shades of De La Soul, Outkast and even Spank Rock, ‘Automatic’ is a feast of power pop, its main weakness being its abrupt ending at a slightly disappointing two and half minutes long.
