I was first introduced to Formation when I saw them support
Jagwar Ma. The venue was pretty sparse with attendees but that didn’t stop the
London-based band. They delivered a rollicking set of high-energy alternative
dance tracks that more often than not included some form of intense cowbell
solo. Considering this writer is a huge LCD Soundsystem fan, Formation’s
frontman Will Ritson’s preference to dive into these cowbell solos without
inhibition won me over instantly as it reminded me of LCD’s blitzing set at
Lovebox 2016. After seeing Formation I went home and listened to everything
they had put out and was entranced, and also thought pondered whether I had
discovered my new favourite band. Not long after, they announced their debut
record and naturally I was very excited and I am so relieved that this record
lives up to the high expectations that myself and many others have had of the
band.
Formation’s marketing campaign for this record has been very
carefully crafted. Every day multiple images of stark black and white
photography as well as lyrics from the record were uploaded to Instagram. These
lyrics often had a political underpinning to them and teased that this record
would very much be a politically inclined record. Teaming this with Formation’s
propensity for denim jackets with huge patches depicting shackles on the back
of them, you can see that this band want to deliver a message with this record
and they do so with aplomb. Multiple tracks on the record have Ritson repeating
phrases over and over with his seductive delivery as it they’re a mantra.
Whether it be ‘Drugs’ or ‘Buy and Sell’, the repeated vocals combined with the
sumptuous danceable tunes supporting them make everything that Ritson says very
convincing. Disguised behind the electropop tinged sound and controlled vocals
is very much a punk band for the 21st century.
Whilst this record does have a strong and important
political message throughout, it is very easy to forget this when the music is
so infectious and well put together. The band explores different sounds whether
it be the swaggering hip-hop beat of ‘Drugs’, the indie rock banger that is
‘Buy and Sell’, or previous single ‘A Friend’ with its massive chorus and
hypnotic, piercing synths that infiltrate your mind and control your body to
move with the rhythms, if this track doesn’t make you want to move your body
then I’m pretty sure you’re dead inside. And I can’t forget the scintillating
cowbell solo on this track, which alone is worthy of giving the record 5 stars!
Special mention has to be made as well to sticksman Kai Akinde-Hummel. On
‘Gods’ he’s providing funk-laced beats that A Tribe Called Quest would be proud
of, he’s delivering outrageously sharp drum fills on ‘Buy and Sell’, and the
rest of the record he’s like a human metronome that holds the record together
and is the base for Formation to deliver their distinct sound.
When you search for Formation on Google, you have to wade
through a lot of Beyonce related results till you get to this incredible band. Please
seek them out because if you do you’ll be rewarded with an eclectic mix of
music that anybody can find enjoyment with. They’ve got the dance-punk
attitude, the electropop choruses, the hip-hop swagger, and much more. They’re
hard to categorise as a band but it’s very easy to say that they’re immensely
talented. As the record closes out with the epic ‘Ring’, all I wanted to do was
restart the record and experience it all over again. At the time of writing I
will be seeing these guys live tomorrow and I couldn’t be more excited.