@'s 'Autosmile' Turns Bedroom Chamber-Folk into a 4AD Debut Worth the Wait
Five years after Mind Palace Music, the Philadelphia duo of Victoria Rose and Stone Filipczak have made their 4AD debut without noticeably changing how they work: at home, on their own machines, with whatever instrument is nearest. Clash scored it an 8, with Zara Dosanjh writing that “the epic six-minute title track packs an intense inquisition of what lies beyond heartbreak,” and identifying the method exactly — “simplicity is the spine of the sound.” The Line of Best Fit went 7/10 and praised “the swooning majesty of the nearly seven-minute title track,” concluding that “it’s easy to forgive any missteps.”
The Sonic Breakdown
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: There’s no conventional rhythm section holding this down. Cello and 12-string acoustic do the load-bearing work, with bongos and shaker where a kit would normally sit, and programmed drums surfacing only occasionally. On “I’m Not In Pain” they finally bring in players — Garrett Burke learning on a real kit the parts Filipczak had programmed, Andy Loebs on bass — and the contrast is the album’s biggest gear change.
The Spatial Dynamics: The fuzzed guitar that opens “Love In The Dark” wasn’t made with a pedal at all; they plugged straight into a cheap MBOX interface and drove the input until it broke up. That’s the record in miniature — texture found by misusing equipment rather than buying better equipment. Clarinet, violin and keyboard fill the midrange where a band would put overdubs.
Standout Performance
Nina Ryser on “Earthly Love.” The vocals there were cut live, three singers in one room, and the blend has a looseness no stacked take achieves.
Why It’s Certified
Every reviewer landed on the title track as the summit, and they’re right — six-plus minutes that build without a single obvious trick. Around it, “Bird” opens sharp, “I Know You Are (But What Am I Thinking)” is the hook, and “Your Dog” — written and recorded in one morning — proves how much of this duo’s charm is speed. Certified great.