Recording studios are strange places. They always smell of last night, and there’s often a strange feeling of impermanence about them. But in Autamata’s Dublin bunker, there’s a definite air of quiet confidence about the place. Studio whizz Ken McHugh and vocalist Sarah Verdon – two thirds of Autamata (second vocalist Carol Keogh is the missing party) are on what seems to be a slightly bleary-eyed post-gig high after a packed Music Centre show in the capital, and a racous reception at Roisin Dubh’s in Galway.
Tea is offered, numerous cigarettes are smoked and plans for a civil sort of world domination are revealed.
The Autamata Hot Press meets is a different beast from the one that released My Sanctuary three years ago. Apart from personnel changes (Cathy Davey out, Sarah Verdon in), the modus operandi, as McHugh conceeds, is totally different. It’s no longer a one-man show. Now, it’s more 'the three of us'. The trio have been working on their new album Short Stories for close on three years, with McHugh taking a break from producing other acts to concentrate solely on this project for the past year.
“Short Stories was created the opposite way to My Sanctuary,” says McHugh. “In the main, this time around, we wrote songs first and then played around with ideas about sound and feel afterwards.”
How did the writing process work between the two ladies? “It was odd,” says McHugh. “When we were working on some ideas, I asked them to choose what tracks they felt they would like to work with – and they both chose totally different tracks!”
But it seems the main catalyst for the change this time around was touring the last album – seeing how songs worked in a live space, as opposed to a studio/home environment. And while the new album is quite ambitious, flitting from genre to genre, it feels more coherent than the last one, anchored by key tracks like ‘Summer Sun’ and the astonishing ‘Liberty Bell’.
Given his day job (as a studio boffin), it’s not surprising that McHugh opted to steer clear of what he calls 'guitar bands who all sound the same'.
How would they describe Autamata’s sound in a nice handy soundbite? Both are a bit reluctant before Verdon offers: “Intelligent pop”. Which is quite apt really. McHugh describes the new record as being “a musical journey”. It’s an album for the iPod generation, one to stick with rather than wear out.
Autamata now have very firm ideas about moving forward. The band are quite serious about their plans for success – and how to achieve it. A number of tracks from the last album have ended up being used in commercials and films, something that can be quite lucrative.
“It means I can concentrate on this full-time,” says McHugh. “And we have no problem with it. I mean, we’re not going to get involved with something that we don’t agree with, but as long as it’s cool then we’re happy to do it."
He also has other projects on the way: "Apart from the album, I am also releasing an instrumental CD geared towards that”.
The same person who looks after the likes of Moby for similar licensing deals in the US is working on their behalf. They are also proud of their independent nature – choosing to release everything themselves and “not play the game”, according to Verdon. They want to tour the world with Short Stories, sell as many records as possible, and take this to the next level. And given the success of similar acts, such as Roysköpp, Annie and Lemon Jelly, there’s no reason why they won’t.b