[3] It is a disco,[2][4] funk,[2][4] and dance-pop[5] song that has drawn several comparisons to the works of French electronic music duo Daft Punk.

[3][7] "Automaton" was described as a "sci-fi wonderland of vocoders and electronic whirs" by Ben Kaye of Consequence of Sound.

[2] Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone described the song's progression as "propulsive verses [that] suddenly make way for the track's booming chorus before abruptly turning into a Daft Punk-like bridge where a synthetic voice chants 'I'm automaton.

[8] It was announced on 22 March that the song would receive a release as a limited edition 10-inch vinyl in the UK for Record Store Day 2017, which takes place on 22 April.

[3] A nuclear explosion is shown at the very start of the video; Daniel Kreps thought it was fitting, as the Doomsday Clock had moved closer to midnight on the day of its release.