Philadelphia-based duo @ (Stone Filipczak and Victoria Rose) greets the listener with a sincerity that feels as if hands are joined in prayer and heart beating in hand, through their tender, subtly medieval-tinged fresh folk songs. Released via 4AD, the six-and-a-half-minute “Autosmile” serves as the first harbinger of the duo’s upcoming second album, offering a literal “enchanted landscape.”
A Windy Evening on a Williamsburg Rooftop
New York is going through quite blessed days these days: the Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years; the weather is fantastic, and double rainbows appeared twice in the sky in a single week. To crown all this glorious June weather, Philadelphia psychedelic-folk duo @ (Stone Filipczak and Victoria Rose) put on a free Monday sunset concert on a rooftop in Williamsburg.
Everything seemed flawless, but the wind made things a bit difficult. Filipczak’s guitar pick blew off the roof, Rose’s skirt billowed in the wind, the light breeze distorted the sound system, and the air suddenly turned cold. When Rose announced that the final song of their set would last seven minutes, that trendy crowd packed like canned fish virtually braced themselves for a tough test. However, what awaited the audience was “Autosmile”—the duo’s illuminating six-and-a-half-minute masterpiece and lead single for their second album.
Sound Architecture and the Magic of the “Bare Fifth”
“Autosmile” earns every single second of its long runtime to the fullest. Beginning with bare vocals and intriguing fingerpicking, the track gains layers through güiro percussion, tambourine, and swelling guitar strums. The song climbs toward that enchanting chorus governed by an ambivalent acceptance:
“I don’t know how I belong to you, but I just do somehow.”
When Filipczak and Rose sing this line together for the first time, they use an uneasy interval known as a “bare fifth” (open fifth), lacking the “third” tone that determines whether a chord is major or minor. Frequently heard in the American Sacred Harp choral tradition, this tonal ambiguity fits the soul of the song perfectly: “Autosmile” is a complex love song that rejects the sharp ups and downs of major or minor emotions, choosing instead the internal depth of a winding labyrinth. As Rose puts it:
“If I wished we’d never met, I wouldn’t know how I got here… And right now I’m in a very beautiful place.”
Medieval Echoes and the Reward of Faith
With references to demonology and mermaids, lute-like guitar runs, and harmonies delivered with choir-like precision, “Autosmile” recalls campfire songs lit in a fairytale folk-fusion universe where musicians like Dan English fight like knights.
The most “medieval-esque” and intimate touch of the piece is its stance of closeness to God, free of irony. Rose sings in the song, “I’m so graceful,” adding, “I’m as certain as the Himalayas.” Seven-minute songs can sometimes be a test of patience and faith; “Autosmile” stands as the freshest proof of the pure peace and happiness awaiting believers.
⚠️ NO-26 Editor’s Final Note
Blending traditional choir harmonies with psychedelic folk textures, this fresh single by the duo carries an elegance worthy of 4AD’s mystical and timeless catalog. If you appreciate quality works where acoustic instruments meet analytical mathematics and deep emotion, “Autosmile” should top your listening list this summer.
