The Automatic reveal album details

By Kev Geoghegan
Radio 1 music reporter

The band's new album is out on 25 August after a few delays caused by touring

Welsh rockers The Automatic say the first single to be taken from their new album is all about the pains of adulthood.

Zane Lowe had the first play of Steve McQueen on his show on Monday but it is not due for release for another few weeks.

Guitarist James Frost told Newsbeat the title was connected to the movie legend.

He said: "It's not about him but it relates to him."

Singer Rob Hawkins added: "He's a metaphor rather than a direct reference.

"A lot of the first album was about leaving home because we were really young when we wrote it.

"It's a bit more about coming back to everything after travelling the world.

"It puts to bed a lot of the themes of growing up in the first album."

Pennie's departure

It has been two years since the band's breakout hit single Monster which reached number four in the UK charts.

Following singles, by comparison, did not chart as well and opened them up to accusations of being one-hit wonders.

The new single showcases a much harder sound to the band, with the departure of shrieking keyboardist Alex Pennie and the recruiting of former Yourcodenameis:milo frontman Paul Mullen.

The band say the departure of Pennie happened over a period of about a year, during which it became clear that his musical ambitions were very different.

Frost, though, insisted it wasn't too painful.

The band appeared on Top of the Pops back in 2006

He said: "We're still sweet and we talk to him now and again."

Many meanings

After a few delays caused by a tour in early 2008, the new album, titled This Is A Fix, is due out on 25 August, just after the band's appearances at the Reading and Leeds festivals on 22-24 August.

Hawkins insisted the name has multiple meanings.

He said: "It could mean, a drugs fix, it could mean a solution to something or a fix, as in a set-up.

"I think we all have days when we hear things in the news and wonder if it's all for real."

Frost said: "There's a track called Magazines that is totally different to anything we've ever done before.

"I think it could be a sign of what we might do on the next album. It's this kind of dirty, sexy thing.

Hawkins added: "It's like hip-hop with singing really, isn't it."