❉ This eloquently constructed collection of songs elevates the bar set by FORM’s first album, writes Ange Chan.
This World Is Ours is the second album from FORM who are a truly European affair, hailing from England, Wales and Germany. Keith Trigwell, Mark Bebb and Rob Dust are no strangers to electronic soundscapes, each member having extensive experience of song-writing, live performances and music production. FORM’s debut release defiance + entropy was an insightful introduction to the trio and gained them reviews and recognition. This World is Ours is a balance of extremes and it combines natural elements with other-worldly touches.
The album opens with the strong track You which starts out as an anthemic classic in the making and progresses into a strong synth track worthy of Mesh or Depeche Mode. It’s an accomplished track with perfect production and pitch and gives us a positive taste of things to come within the album. It will especially sound incredible in a live setting… when we’re allowed to do such things of course!
Here is a gentle piano-led track which progresses into an Erasure-esque ballad with a melancholy feeling and a theme of being trapped between worlds, awaiting to be re-animated back into full colour. The next couple of tracks, Succumb and Extinction continue with the same wistful vibe, the latter reflecting on how mankind will return to any kind of normality post-lockdown, and how we will collectively think, having stood on the precipice of extinction.
Meanwhile Glitter is a joyful dance-floor pleaser with overtones of Blondie and early Human League synth treatments. The song’s theme has two opposing sides where humans are conditioned to create their own source of light and darkness, when politics and diplomacy have failed in the world at large.
Protector is another masterclass in synth music, with memorable hooks and catchy melodies, and is a mesmerising waltz, displaying the universal state of loss and the story of facing adversity with dignity, setting the example for the common human goal of love and honour. The tempo is hitched back up again with the glam-esque, stompy Hazed with Eno-esque overtones. It unapologetically depicts a basic carnal need coupled with a relentless, driving beat.
Viva is more of a traditional pop offering with a strong back-beat and melody, coupled with Bebb’s distinctive voice, and which is sure to be a dancefloor filler. It’s an infectious song that will quickly become your latest earworm.
Athenian paints a tale of a toxic relationship between a devoted lover and an impenetrable individual who insists on maintaining an air of mystery. Additionally, the album also includes three instrumental tracks written and produced by Trigwell, secreted among other tracks so you can discover the delights for yourself.
This eloquently constructed collection of songs elevates the bar set by their first album with ten new tracks each skilfully scripted, utilising the tried-and-tested writing techniques relished by Trigwell and Bebb, polished to perfection by Rob Dust in the Potsdam studio, Germany.
❉ ‘This World Is Ours’ by FORM releases April 9, 2021 via Infacted Recordings Germany. Click here to pre-order digital album from Bandcamp.
❉ Ange Chan is a Freelance Writer, having produced two novels and six volumes of poetry. A prominent contributor to Me and the Starman (now available by Cult Ink on Amazon) and lifelong lover of music, Ange is also We Are Cult’s Social Media Administrator.
