Interview In the Studio: Formation
Ahead of taking to Liverpool’s Scandi Church, Will and Matt Ritson talk long-awaited debut albums.
Formation are raring to return. Though they’ve found time to kart their cowbell-induced mayhem to some of the summer’s biggest festivals, Will and Matt have spent the best part of the last year cooped up in the studio, perfecting their debut album, too. By most bands standards, ten days in a recording studio would breeze by. For these twins, it felt like forever, and they’re itching to get back on stage.
“It was almost a year, that whole adventure, and in that time, we recorded an album,” explains Will, looking back on the journey to now. Though recording itself was a relatively speedy process - “we banged the whole thing out in ten days,” assesses Matt – getting to the point of having a fully-fledged debut was one the twins were not prepared to rush.
“ It feels like Formation is at its best place on this album."
— Will Ritson
Eager to shed early touchstones (“that LCD Soundsystem comparison,” particularly, admits Will) Formation's sonic adventures took them away from the percussive dance-punk of their earliest singles, and down altogether darker avenues Heading into the studio with Brighton house producer Leon Vynehall for their 'Under the Tracks' EP took the boys in a more diverse direction; nodding to far clubbier climes. Capturing the euphoria of a swelling, bass-filled basement proved their master key. They continued working with Leon for their debut, as well as enlisting Strongrooms-based producer Ben Baptie. “Formation's sound is a lot to do with Ben's Soundgas account,” jokes Matt. “He bought a lot of weird gadgets.”
“Leon's influence on us was definitely from a songwriting perspective,” says Will of their decision to keep the foundations of their most recent EP in place. “Refining bits of songs, and finding the real intention behind songs. Reinforcing the lyrics with different movements and instrumentations. That's what being a house producer is about as well,” he points out, “building a track and finding a dynamism to what you're doing. Even in the track-listing, it grows in a certain way. It pulls up into this really nasty distorted thing, and works its way out into an orchestral ending.
“It was a case of bringing the music to where we were, because we've always been live-based, and wanted to have a group involved, and fully realise what we were doing,” explains Will, continuing. “ It feels like Formation is at its best place on this album, it feels like that's what its always been meaning to be. Obviously,” he adds with a challenging smirk, eyes already trained on the next hurdle. “now the goal is to beat it.”
Tickets for the this year’s Stand For Something Tour are on sale now – head to drmartens.com/standforsomethingtour now to get your hands on them.
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