ALBUM: The Enemy 'It's Automatic'

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Many of their contemporaries choose to hang on to the music that brought them to the public attention, and it ends up being a rather limp revision of a once brave new world. The Enemy, however, have openly admitted that as time goes on and individuals grow, so that sound should be true to the current form and thus progression occurs. This is the Enemy album that is not an Enemy album.

It’s worth remembering also that these are still artists in their 20s which seems unfathomable given they seem to have been around forever. This is the fourth album and its 8 years on from the sit up and takes notice debut, We’ll Live And Die in These Towns.

The anthemic album opener ‘Don’t Let Nothing Get In The Way’ sets the confident tone and while the recognisable social commentary still exists within the lyrics, the sound has left the terraces and moved into the nearby stadium. The rousing chorus and strong rhythm suggest that this will translate well on the upcoming tour.

The single ‘Automatic; is a pop/rock romp and lyrically suggests a new maturity. In fact the theme of optimistic futures, love and redemption is present throughout the album, no more so than on ‘To the Waterfall’, which ends joyously having built from a quiet and restrained opening.

What’s clear from the album as a whole is that The Enemy are ambitious and have worked hard to create a cohesive album that, while at times strays dangerously close to pop metal sentimentalism, delivers a modern and uplifting record. The production is considered, not overwhelming, the composition is intelligent if not completely original.

It’s not until we get to ‘So Much Love’ that the album feels more consistent with the earlier Enemy material, and yet the tracks central theme continues to be one of renaissance and of someone completely at peace with themselves.

At this point one has to recall the debut album which was bursting with lyrics documenting the tedium of modern life and suburban bleakness. And this was Britpop influenced indie selling a brand of angst we could all buy into. In fact, it was what brought The Enemy such success in the mid-noughties. To stray this far and start to laud the merits of being in love and content with oneself is a bold move commercially. The album cover contains an image of three well groomed, metrosexual modern mid-twenty gents which again is a world away from the leather jackets, tracksuits, beers and sneers of old.

The album continues to offer more quality moments of Americana and by design or otherwise a number of tracks, namely ‘Superhero’, that would fit nicely into a film or E4 soundtrack.

By the time we reach ‘This Is Our Time’ what is clear is that The Enemy are about to wake up a whole new audience and their immediate future should be followed with keen interest. The track ends with a gig finale, ticker tape and fireworks chorus where the listener will find it impossible not to get caught up in the infectious positivity, and it’s a timely reminder that life should be fun.

The Enemy are still working out how to make this new sound and genre work 100% but it feels like it’s where they belong, that this is a really enjoyable listen and, if they still feel this way in a year or two, they have the talent and potential to release a more definitive record.

It’s Automatic is released on 9th October via VAM Records.

James Van Praag