By admin 
HangupsMusic.com – Philadelphia, A quiet revolution has been brewing in the verdant corners of the indie music scene for the past six years, whispered from fan to fan, blog to blog. At its heart lies @, a duo whose name, pronounced simply "at," belies the intricate, almost fantastical world they craft through sound. Victoria Rose, a dedicated beekeeper, and Stone Filipczak, who embraces the whimsical title of part-time wizard, are the architects of this sonic marvel. Their forthcoming album, Autosmile, slated for release on October 16, 2026, via the esteemed 4AD label, promises to be a landmark achievement, cementing their status as one of the most compelling and unique voices in contemporary psych-folk.
The journey of Rose and Filipczak, both 32, is a testament to serendipity and the unexpected power of connection. Their collaboration, they readily admit, was never a premeditated act. It began during the isolating depths of the 2020 pandemic lockdown, when casual texts between old friends blossomed into something far more profound. "We did not mean to be a band, actually," Rose shared over lunch in Brooklyn recently, a sentiment Filipczak echoed, calling their new album "a culmination of six years of hard work that happened completely by accident."
Their initial acquaintance predated the pandemic, rooted in Boston’s diverse music scene. Filipczak had been the rhythmic anchor of a raucous noise-rock outfit, while Rose pursued her distinct path as an eccentric singer-songwriter, simultaneously embarking on her journey into beekeeping. By 2020, circumstances found Filipczak back in his native Baltimore, adrift in a period of aimlessness. "I was living with people I didn’t really know as roommates, going to the skate park every day, smoking a lot of weed," he recounted. "I had no real structure."
The spark ignited when Rose, working on a new composition, sought Filipczak’s percussive touch. What started as a casual request quickly evolved. The remote exchange of musical ideas across states became the bedrock of their first album, Mind Palace Music, recorded with surprising speed during that surreal summer. Uploaded to Bandcamp in the spring of 2021, it was, they thought, merely an experiment, a fleeting moment of creative catharsis.
Yet, the digital ether had other plans. Mind Palace Music began to circulate, not through conventional promotion, but through a genuine, grassroots phenomenon. Its peculiar charm, coupled with the enigmatic "@" moniker – chosen by Rose "because it was cool" and by Filipczak for its visual potential on a kick-drum – transformed them into an "if-you-know-you-know" sensation within indie circles. The very obscurity of their name, a challenge to search engines, only amplified their cult appeal, turning them into a whispered secret, a prized discovery among discerning listeners.
Filipczak marvels at the organic traction: "We didn’t do anything with [Mind Palace Music]. We just let it sit there… But it seemed to grow for a while, and it just kind of kept growing." In those nascent days, well-meaning peers and industry contacts often urged them to reconsider their band name. "People are like, ‘Are you aware that it’s impossible to Google?’" Rose recalled with a wry smile. Filipczak added, "Everyone’s always really sure that they’re helping us out. They all think they know better than us." Rose’s triumphant conclusion: "No one is telling us that now."
Approximately a year after the quiet Bandcamp release of Mind Palace Music, @ took to the stage for their inaugural live performance. The chosen venue, a former mausoleum showroom in Philadelphia, imbued the event with an appropriately ethereal atmosphere. Among the audience members were indie luminary Alex G and a representative from Carpark Records. The small, respected indie label soon approached them, leading to a re-release of their debut album in 2023. Though never actively pursuing a record deal, the opportunity felt too significant to decline. "Why not?" Filipczak remembered thinking. "We might as well take this opportunity, because it’s pretty unlikely to ever be presented again."
By last year, both Rose and Filipczak had settled in Philadelphia, poised to embark on their next creative chapter. "The first album came about pretty unexpectedly – it wasn’t even intended to be an album at first," Rose reflected. "We were just kind of finding our footing again. We were not really sure how to start, honestly."
The genesis of Autosmile was a meticulous, unhurried process spanning over two years. Most tracks originated as individual compositions, meticulously crafted by Rose or Filipczak in their home studios. These foundational pieces were then shared, embellished, and intricately layered together, with Filipczak’s MacBook serving as the central editing hub. The rich, baroque soundscape that defines Autosmile is largely a product of their own hands. Filipczak contributes the airy, often melancholic tones of the flute, while Rose weaves in the warm, resonant melodies of the clarinet. For select tracks, they invited friends to augment the tapestry with cello and violin, adding further depth and emotional resonance.
This remarkably full and complex sound, unusual for a self-produced indie act, is, in their characteristic fashion, explained as a natural outcome. "It’s literally just what we know how to play," Filipczak explained. "Flute is a very practical instrument – it’s easy to carry, it’s easy to mic. I think more people should play them." His own flute, he revealed, was a serendipitous acquisition, picked up for a mere $30 at a Renaissance festival a few years prior. Filipczak’s affinity for these historical re-enactments runs deep, especially the Maryland Renaissance Festival, which he praises for its "permanently built fairy village in the woods." His fascination extends to acquiring pieces of a "wizard outfit," including a "sick wizard hat" found with Rose in Wales, a detail that playfully reinforces his "part-time wizard" persona.
Rose’s connection to the clarinet is equally organic. Having played it in school, she re-embraced the instrument a couple of years ago after receiving one as a 30th birthday gift from Filipczak’s brother. "I still don’t really know how to read music for it or anything like that," she confessed, "but I can make it sound pretty good." This intuitive, self-taught approach to instrumentation underscores their raw, unvarnished artistry, allowing for a freedom that academic training might sometimes constrain.
Lyrically, Autosmile delves into profoundly human experiences, navigating themes of heartbreak, emotional fragility, and the lingering shadows of a post-pandemic world. Rose articulated the album’s emotional core: "Things were hard after the pandemic. Even if you don’t notice that it’s hard, it creeps up on you, and I think it just kind of seeped into the songs. I just felt tired and sad."
The album’s opening lines, delivered by Filipczak, are strikingly vivid: "Give me warmth, give me death, whatever, I don’t want it/I walked out on the deck to put a hole in my head." Yet, his interpretation offers a surprising contrast to the initial gravity. "That’s about going out on the deck to smoke weed," he clarified. Rose, amused by the divergence, noted, "That’s funny, because it sounds more like you’re going to shoot yourself." Filipczak acknowledged the ambiguity, adding, "Yeah, that line could be interpreted as being about suicide or whatever. But that song is very silly as well." This tension between the profound and the mundane, the dark and the light, is a hallmark of @’s lyrical approach.
Even the album’s title, Autosmile, carries this characteristic duality. It derives from an internet meme Filipczak discovered, depicting a smiling flower with the caption, "When you and gang faded and auto smile gets turned on…" The title track itself, with its gentle vocal harmonies and trippy acoustic strumming, explores the aftermath of a relationship’s end and the arduous path to acceptance. The seemingly lighthearted title, however, transforms the song, complicating its inherent melancholy.
"It complicates the message in a way that I think is cool," Rose explained. "If you’re writing a musically dark song with dark subject matter, it’s just like, ‘This is what it is.’ But adding a little bit of beauty or softness to something dark processes the emotion better." Filipczak concurred, emphasizing their commitment to a holistic emotional portrayal: "It’s always both. I don’t think we really make songs that are just crushingly dark. You have to throw in other stuff in order for it to feel real."
The completion of Autosmile earlier this year and its impending release on 4AD marks a significant milestone for @. The label, a legendary institution responsible for launching iconic acts like Pixies, TV on the Radio, and St. Vincent, represents their most substantial platform to date. For Rose and Filipczak, whose journey began with accidental texts and organic growth, this recognition remains somewhat surreal. Yet, there’s a profound sense of validation. "People are listening to our music," Rose reflected. "It felt good when, like, 50 people were into it, and it feels good now that there’s more people. I’m just glad that it’s not being thrown into a void." With Autosmile, @ is poised to enchant a much wider audience, proving that sometimes, the most extraordinary artistry emerges from the most unexpected places.
