Studio writers/engineers Darrick Atwater (Agent Method), John Schmarkey and Ty Barksdale (of All The Locals) met in an Atlanta studio in 2016 and created the song ‘Fighting For’ out of an unfinished idea that the crew passed over until the end of 2018 that was made on a whim. It has been said that “The song is an ode to folks who need to stay grounded and unique during trivial or exciting chapters in life, not losing sight of your roots” and the unique blend of sounds includes instruments such as bongos, keyboards, wooden/metal shelves and fidget spinners. All The locals has been described as very organic when it comes to production and not lacking in knowledge of how to draw in a younger audience. ‘Fighting For’ was produced in the studio space of Sonica in Atlanta along with Agent Method’s Home studio, who collaborated with All The Locals on this track. The band is currently traveling the world in support of their new EP ‘Another Way To Breathe’ that is available everywhere.
I love the mixture of slow and fast paced sections that are found in “Fighting For” that blend electric and pop sounds into a driving track that is sure to send AllThe Locals to the top. The ‘chorus’ sections were the beat drops in “Fighting For” are intoxicating and get your body moving immediately from the start of each break down. I also love the creative use of sounds to help tell the story behind the meaningful lyrics that are extremely well written to go along with the style of this song. The vocals are soft and have a slight rasp to them that lures the listener in to want to put the song on repeat and needing more. The amount of detail that you can physically is put into creating “Fighting For” between all the slower sections to the build-up and drop of faster beats mixed with the alluring delivery of a story that you can hear might have personal meaning to the vocalist through the emotions embedded in the song. Overall, “Fighting For” is a fantastic song that showcases the talent that each member of this collaboration is able to bring to the table – and I cannot wait for more!
Listen to "Fighting For" here and get to know more about All The Locals below!
Hey All The Locals and Agent Method !Phenomenal Track! Tell us a bit more about yourselves.
Darrick Atwater (Agent Method), John Schmarkey and Ty Barksdale (of All The Locals) originally met as studio writers/engineers in an Atlanta studio back in 2016. After months of creating content for the company, Darrick and ATL became good friends in an out of the industry. The song ‘Fighting For’ spawned out of an unfinished idea that the crew made on a whim in the studio, and didn’t even bother with until the end of 2018. The song is an ode to folks who need to stay grounded and unique during trivial or exciting chapters in life, not losing sight of your roots. Perhaps the best part of the track is the production. The song brings an electronic pop feel, however most of the song stems from organic sounds produced within the studio space of Sonica in ATL (owned/operated by John Briglevich, ATL’s mentor and friend), as well as Agent Method’s home studio. Sounds created by wooden/metal shelves, bongos, fidget spinners, keyboards, and vocal abstractions were used in the creation of the song. Soulternative band, All The Locals have always been very organic with song production, without lacking in knowledge of modern elements that the youth adores. Collaborating with Agent Method on this track created an amalgamation of electro soul, that can hopefully transcend all listeners. Currently Darrick Atwater is a prominent producer in ATL, working with many up in coming artists. AllThe Locals continues to travel the map in support of their new EP ‘Another Way To Breathe,’ available worldwide.
How did you first find the eclectic sounds found in ‘Fighting For’?
Darrick (Agent Method):
‘For the more non-conventinal sounds, It really came down to a matter of "random sound design". I would walk around Sonica, and knock on, or shake whatever objects that looked like they might sound interesting, from filing cabinets, to wooden walls, to long pieces of metal banding used to strap down shipping crates. Then, process them heavily via samplers and effects alike, to create the sound-scape that became the original basis for the song. There was always a plethora of odd things around the studio to glean some new sonic insight from. Its extremely satisfying and great creative engineering practice to build ones own sounds. That becomes yoursound. No one else in the worldhas those samples. it really helps give a song its own "soul" and unique sonic landscape.’
Is there a deeper meaning behind the song ‘Fighting For’?
Stay unique and original to yourself no matter the circumstances and chapters in life.
What inspires the creation of lyrics and melodies for new songs?
Johnny (All The Locals) is known for coming up with lyrics and melodies off the top of his head, atleast to get the idea molded and a seed of influence to write with. But generally the group formulates the major motives of the songs together then we will go back and be specific to each layered part.
What can we expect to see from All The Locals in 2019?
More touring and new music!
New EP ‘Another Way to Breathe’ available now worldwide!
Connect with All The Locals on social media
www.instagram.com/allthelocals
www.facebook.com/allthelocalsmusic