This is the lead single from Bloc Party's The Nextwave Sessions EP. It is one of two tracks on the disc recorded with Dan Carey, who had previously worked with Bat for Lashes and Hot Chip. Talking about the track, the band's singer and principal songwriter Kele Okereke said: "Ratchet' was the first song we recorded with Dan. It really came together whilst we were on tour in 2012. We started slipping it into the sets at the start of this year just to try it out and the reactions were insane. We knew we had something special."

The song was given its live debut on the band's 2013 North American tour and had its first radio play on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio One show on June 25, 2013.

A ratchet is a round gear or linear rack with teeth, and a pivoting, springloaded finger called a pawl that engages the teeth. The mechanical device, which allows continuous linear or rotary motion in only one direction while preventing motion in the opposite direction, is widely used in such contraptions as clocks and turnstiles.

Alternatively, it's a slang term for a girl from the ghetto who is loud, obnoxious and generally trashy.

The track was accompanied by a video directed by acclaimed animator Cyriak, who used heavily edited footage from the band's clips for "Octopus," "Hunting For Witches", "Little Thoughts" and "Helicopter."