The three band members met while immersed in L.A.'s DIY music scene and started playing live in 2017, taking their name from the track "Automatic" from The Go-Go's album Beauty and the Beat.

[4] The group signed to Los Angeles label Stones Throw in June 2019.

[7] Automatic announced their debut album Signal with the release of their first single "Calling It" on June 3, 2019.

The band put out two more singles, a cover of Delta 5's "Mind Your Own Business"[8] and title track "Signal", before releasing the album on September 27, 2019.

[9] The band released Signal Remixes on March 26, 2021, which included reworks from artists such as Peanut Butter Wolf, Sudan Archives, Peaking Lights, Osees' John Dwyer, and Kevin Haskins.