Singles Spotlight: Autoheart –
“Indigo Chateau”

Hello reader,

How are you? Welcome to or welcome back to SWT.

Today, we’re excited to talk about another artist making great music: Autoheart. The group, a London-based trio, evolved out of another group, The Gadsdens, before taking the name of the new group in 2011 from lyrics within their own song, “The Sailor Song”. Going forward, they were known as Autoheart.

The current lineup features Jody Gadsden (vocals), Simon Neilson (piano, keys, and saxophone), and Barney JC (guitar, bass, keys), and proudly, outwardly label themselves as a queer group. As Barney JC was quoted in that linked interview, saying, “You just have to be who you are; it’s not worth it to be anyone else.” Amen. We at SWT support this 100% and will continue to use our broad shoulders to support all until this site ceases to exist. 

Looking back in time and into Autoheart’s previous discography and it includes the following releases: Punch (2013), 2014’s Demos (a Bandcamp-only album), I Can Build a Fire (2016), My Hallelujah EP (2017), Hellbent (2021), Time Machine EP (2022), The Heartbreaker EP (2023), and Live Me, Live Me, Live Me (2024). Their videos are known for their creativity and for giving a voice to the marginalized. Especially but not limited to the videos for the songs “Moscow”, “Oxford Blood”, and “My Hallelujah”. Check them out for yourself after finishing this spotlight!

In the press release for one of the earlier singles, “Baby Bird,” Autoheart guitarist Barney JC was waxing poetic about the group’s fans, stating: “Our fans call themselves ‘Heartheads’, which is perfect. “They’re this incredible, artistic, supportive community who’ve sort of willed us into existence – they believed in us when no one else did, and made our music part of their lives and their own creativity. Heartlands is where we all live, spiritually speaking. Maybe it’s a kind of imagined queer refuge – a place of psychological escape where people like us can find each other. That feels more necessary than ever right now.”

While I liked the previously released two singles, “Sad Divide” and “Baby Bird,” within Autoheart’s newest album Heartlands, which is out Friday, August 15th, via the band’s O/R Records through AWAL, one of the best songs on the album is “Indigo Chateau.” That’s the single that we’re going to spotlight today at SWT.

I am excited to share not only the song but also the creative and engaging video that accompanies it. While watching the video some may get Cats (2019) flashbacks, but I swear that it’s not on that level. Thankfully. Within the video, there’s nothing CGI’d, like there was in the divisive film, and well, the costumes in the song are a bit more lighthearted too. And they’re not cats. The song is a triumphant vocal experience. It’s anthemic at times, with uplifting, pop piano-heavy melody that carries the notes forward with some bounce and playfulness. With lyrics that, when combined, begin to paint a moving picture in motion. It’s art in many forms, in the best forms.

Via the song’s press release, “‘Indigo Chateau’ is for the outsiders, the ones who don’t fit, the crooked and cracked and all the more alive because of it. Written as a response to a culture increasingly hostile to difference, the song walks a fine line between beauty and defiance. As the album opener, it sets the tone for the record and the nine additional songs that lie ahead. There is rage and grief, but also imagination and escape. It’s about choosing reinvention over erasure.” Sold. I admire that fine line, and you might too. And we also think you’ll love the song too.

The incredibly creative and at times jarring with fantastic shots and angles; the awesome video for the song “Indigo Chateau” from Autoheart’s YouTube channel:

(All credits and rights to Autoheart)

The cover art for the Heartlands album (out August 15th):

The Heartlands Tracklist:

1. Indigo Chateau
2. Denial
3. Heaven Is My Destination
4. Sad Divide
5. Baby Bird
6. Pearl
7. Somewhere In The Singing Darkness
8. Say That
9. What Was I Thinking
10. Lost

You can follow and listen to Autoheart at the following links:

Alex M Theel

Co-Founder, Reviewer, Content Creator, Business side, Editor at Scummy Water Tower Productions | Web

Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com