“I sat Andy [bassist] down and said, ‘Mate, I don’t wanna make another Enemy record. I’m bored. We’ve nailed what we do, I wanna go and do solo stuff and make music like the music I listen to.’ And he said, ‘So do I.’ So we decided to take a leap of faith together.”
So, has the lead off single, also called ‘It’s Automatic’, set the stall out for this new era?
Musically, the signs of progression are plain to see. The use of synths and huge sounding drums are reminiscent of the Editors circa ‘An End Has A Start’ but, rather than engrossing a desolate industrial wasteland, The Enemy, have taken this style to a more enriching realm.
What has changed, thankfully, is Clarke's ability to produce recognisable reference points in his storytelling such as meeting in a hotel bar and naively falling in love. The simplicity of it all is why fans continually come back for more of Clarke. Furthermore, within the chorus lies the subtle lines 'Can't talk about it / Nothing a man can do'. It might not be hitting the heights of Blake but, it generates a sense of hopelessness in a vast world when you are left behind by a partner perfectly.
Just looking at Clarke in the video suggests a new maturity and confidence has been found in the time away. Sporting a new outrageously cool haircut and singing about falling in and out of love suggests a lot has happened to the spokesperson of a generation and TT for one is drooling in anticipation.
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