Given that twenty one pilots have a tendency to release half of their album as singles, Formidable is certainly a formidable contender as an upcoming single.
A simple love song, but the the sound is so different to anything previously released by the duo. If you did not recognise Joseph’s voice, you’d be forgiven for completely overlooking the song as belonging to twenty one pilots.
The Philadelphian pair ditch the hard drums, overdriven baselines and rap rhetheroric, opting for a more laidback, The Cure inspired number. The comparison between Formidable and The Cure is irrefutable, and the main hook of the song is one the eighties rockers would have been proud to have produced themselves.
On the face of it, Formidable is about as formulaic as a song can get, but it’s Joseph’s penchant for dynamic songwriting and musicianship that sets it apart from so many other efforts of similar elk. The track is a beautifully crafted simplicity.
8/10
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