With their third album, Automatic, the members of The Jesus and Mary Chain adopted a new sound, one heavy on machine drums and synth bass tones. The results alienated a sizable contingent of critics and fans back in 1989. But without the burden of expectations, Automatic has proven to be a formidable entry in the band’s oeuvre. By the time of Automatic’s arrival, the band had scaled down to a duo. Drummer Bobby Gillespie had left after the release of Psychocandy and had never been replaced; bassist Douglas Hart wasn’t brought in for the Automatic recording sessions, and would officially depart a couple of years afterward. That left brothers William and Jim Reid, who’d become entranced by new sounds coming out of America, including hip-hop and second-wave goth-industrial acts. Those sounds would find their way to Automatic: You can hear the influence of acts like Public Enemy and Eric B. & Rakim on the album’s savage drum machine and samples, while the stuttering kick drum on Automatic’s “Blues From a Gun” sounds like a team-up between Public Enemy producers the Bomb Squad and Revolting Cocks drummer William Rieflin. Elsewhere on Automatic, the spirit of Iggy Pop—for whom the band had opened a handful of shows in 1988—is evident in Jim Reid’s singing on “Gimme Hell,” which is considerably more pugnacious than his previous efforts. And “Coast to Coast” shares more than a passing resemblance to Depeche Mode’s cover of “Route 66.” Yet Automatic’s most impactful track would turn out to be its lead single, “Head On,” which would inspire a uniquely contemporaneous cover from the Pixies on the group’s 1991 album Trompe le Monde. If The Jesus and Mary Chain began life with a singular sound signature, Automatic shows the Reids spiritually mingling with their peers, creating a sonic palette that would ingratiate the group in the alt-rock nation soon to come.