Comprised of London, UK-based sibling duo Will and Matt Rittson, electro pop duo Formation have developed a reputation for pairing incisive social criticism with an eclectic, genre-mashing sensibility consisting of deep motorik-like grooves, looped samples and insistent percussion — and a result, the duo have been received airplay from renowned BBC Radio DJ Zane Lowe, been nominated for Best New Artist at the NME Awards and have played at some of the UK’s largest festivals, including Glastonbury, Field Day, Lovebox, and Secret Garden Party.
Building upon a growing national and international profile, the duo recently released their latest single “Drugs.” Produced by Lyon Vynehall and Ben Baptie, the single features clanking and clanging percussion and a shit ton of cowbell, circa early DFA Records heyday, a throbbing and insistent bass line and brief bursts of shimmering and atmospheric synths paired with Will Ritton’s ironically and punchily delivered vocals, and simultaneously poke fun of club culture and scenesters while admiring the euphoria and sense of connection from afar, as though the song’s narrator realizes that they would never be cool enough to completely fit in — and that everyone around them would recognize that they’re a big phony. And as a result, there’s a bit of desperate almost delusional amount of wish fulfillment in a song that sonically reminds me quite a bit of Primal Scream, Kasabian and others — if they had been listening to a ton of LCD Soundsystem.
The recently released homemade music video, which you can check out by clicking on the link, is a homemade interactive video that opens with the invitation “Click Here For Drugs” but with each subsequent click reveals a rotating succession of stark, fucked up and confrontational imagery. And what truly makes interactive videos so interesting is that it’s extremely difficult to see the same exact imagery or sequence every single time.