The net is her playground. Who will she be today? She doesn't have to be protected, since nothing can really shock her. She doesn't care about rejection, as she has thousands of friends. She consumes, she copies, she conforms, blends in. She blocks anyone she dislikes, from her Friends list and from her heart. She shares her data with everyone and everything.
That's Automation, Baby!
Three years plus since their previous album, English electronic pop duo MESH report back with their most fully realised work to date, Automation Baby. A concept record, it relates the intimate story of a female protagonist representative of our new society. A total surrender to social networks, technology and consumerism, she is part of a generation willingly giving in to the exchange between reality and virtuality.
"Beautifully complex, endearing and stubbornly full of love, self-loathing, and resignation."
DJ Kantrip , Grave Concerns Zine
However, it is not only the thematic aspect of Automation Baby that grabs the attention, as the Bristol based outfit have once again delivered solid proof of their expert musical craftmanship. The crunchy Taken For Granted alongside the smooth, hymnal Just Leave Us Alone, or the rhythmic yet catchy Adjust Your Set are just a few examples of new material proving that MESH are back with a bang. Similarly, the ballad You Did Not See This Coming, highlighting the charismatic voice of singer Mark Hockings, is a further demonstration that the backbone of MESH is purely strong songwriting. This fact is further underlined by the title track; Automation Baby is the centrepiece of the album, with several remixes of the song also being included on a bonus CD exclusively available in a limited edition box set version.
The band are certainly satisfied with their new recordings. "We think this is a great step forward for MESH, The sound is more modern, driving, yet versatile," says Hockings. Produced by German producer Olaf Wollschläger, who has worked with iconic acts such as Yello, he has helped MESH take their sound to the next level.
During the making of the album the band had a camera team following them, documenting the production process of several songs and subsequently leaking videos to an ever-growing MESH fanbase who could see the album gradually falling into place. This also allowed them to glimpse further as yet unreleased songs, alongside an upfront viewing of the band's current single Born To Lie.
See MESH live at Alt-Fest in August 2014!
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