Automatic Loveletter

With her throaty pipes and anthemic songwriting, Juliet Simms logged several years as a solo artist before forming Automatic Loveletter in 2007. Drummer Daniel Currier, bassist Sean Noll, and guitar players Joe Nelson and Tommy Simms rounded out the lineup, and the group spent several months playing the Tampa Bay club circuit before heading into the recording studio with emo-pop producer Matt Squire. Automatic Loveletter had commissioned Squire to record a full album, but the project was ultimately scaled down, with several of the finished songs appearing as part of the Recover EP in 2007.

With the support of Epic Records, Automatic Loveletter spent the bulk of 2008 on the road. Recover was reissued later that year as part of a promotional tie-in with Hot Topic, but relations between Epic and the band quickly became strained, with the label repeatedly asking Simms to rewrite some of her material. Automatic Loveletter eventually switched labels, this time partnering with Sony Independent Network, and Juliet Simms drafted a new batch of songs to record with producer Josh Abraham. The result was Truth or Dare, which marked the band's full-length debut in June 2010. The album also featured the band's new lineup, which included Clint Fowler and Ryan Metcalf in addition to the two Simms siblings. ~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi