A Breakup Banger: RITUAL Teams Up With Emily Warren For “Using”

Mike Wass | July 10, 2019 6:37 pm
Tove Styrke & RITUAL's 'Love Me Back'
The Swedish pop star teams up with RITUAL for one of 2019's best bangers.

RITUAL is a London-based trio comprised of artist/producers Adam Midgley, Gerard O’Connell and Tommy Baxter. After crafting hits for the likes of Dua Lipa and Little Mix, they decided to make some of their own. With a very specific goal in mind — namely, matters of the heart. RITUAL introduced their debut project, Dreamers Never Learn, with a Tove Styrke-assisted banger called “Love Me Back.” They now follow it up with another gem called “Using.” It features Emily Warren and has a hugely relatable subject matter.

“Using is about a moment of realization, not only that you’ve been used by someone, but by someone who is a habitual user,” Adam explains. “It’s realizing that this person you thought you shared a unique and real connection with actually just has a charm that makes everyone who meets them fall and feel the same. You’re all victims of the same hoax.” There’s a self-destructive twist to the track. “There’s some bitterness and resentment at being used in the song, but it’s also a celebration of just how great it felt to be used by this person,” he adds.

RITUAL dropped the video today (July 10) and it plays like a mini episode of Black Mirror. It stars Cailin Russo as a social media obsessed woman, who loses sight of what’s real in the hunt for likes. Watch below.

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