Philadelphia based art-folk duo @ (pronounced ‘at’), share new single ‘Punish My Mind’ from debut 4AD album Autosmile, out on 16 October.
Dystopian Beach Boys-esque track ‘Punish My Mind’ is an expertly arranged song complete with fluttering woodwinds, raucous distorted monkey howls, dense harmonies and intricate chord progressions over which @ sing about the twin instincts to punish and comfort oneself, eventually envisioning a pristine state of pure acceptance. As the band says: “‘Punish My Mind’ is a chill song about self-torture that’s maybe the oldest recording on the album. It has a fat wind arrangement and a lot of vocal harmonies. We hope you like it.” The single arrives alongside a video shot and edited by the band’s Stone Filipczak, watch here.
‘Punish My Mind’ follows the nearly 7-minute title track ‘Autosmile’, which claimed Pitchfork’s ‘Best New Track’ among other wide-spread acclaim. In June, the band kicked things off with a free rooftop show in Brooklyn, and just this past weekend hosted garden performances in NYC and at home in Philadelphia.
Autosmile follows @’s 2021 debut album Mind Palace Music — displaying the duo’s penchant for confessional lyrics and affinity for blending digital and analog elements, the album was an organic success story via word of mouth praise and well-deserved press recognition. In 2024, @ released their subsequent EP Are You There God? It’s Me, @, where they diverted from their usual acoustic instrumentation to soul-searching on a sonic side quest into more electronic music. In the time since, the band has become an in-demand live act with support shows alongside Snail Mail, Cameron Winter, and Black Country New Road.
@’s new record Autosmile is out October 16 on Soil Brown LP, CD, and digital. A special 12×12 insert and signed photo print bundle with the Soil Brown LP is also available to pre-order via Bandcamp and the 4AD webstore.
Stream / download ‘Punish My Mind’ here.
Pre-order / pre-save Autosmile: here.
