Title: “Swinging for the Fences”
Artist: Riot! in the Boulevard
Album: “Young Cardinals” (2017)
Release Date: February 4, 2017
Length: 4:02
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, Weekly Airplay, 7” Single
Recorded: October/November 2016 - Village Studios - Los Angeles, California, USA
Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop-Punk
Label: Studio60 Records
Written: September 2016
Writer(s): Adam Benjamin, Amy Meyer, Jason Greenberg
Producer(s): Riot! in the Boulevard, Cara Zayn
“Swinging for the Fences” is a song by the Las Vegas based American rock trio 'Riot! in the Boulevard', released as the second single from their upcoming sixth studio album “Young Cardinals” which is expected to drop around the summer of 2017. Written and recorded by the entirety of the band consisting of Adam Benjamin, Amy Meyer and Jason Greenberg during recording sessions for the album at Village Studios in Los Angeles, California where they have recently decided to re-locate at least until the completion of the record and potentially beyond. According to sources, the track began when the three had finished up recording one afternoon and Adam Benjamin was playing around with an acoustic guitar in the studio while they were clearing up from the days work, apparently Amy was immediately drawn to the soft tones that Adam was playing on the guitar and encouraged him to keep on going while one of their sound technicians recorded the audio in order to replicate it the very next day in the studio.
The trio returned to work the next day and set about re-creating the intro as well as adding to it both instrumentally and lyrically and they focussed on the song's creation for a week and a half before ending up with a fully formed track ready to record, Amy's passion for the song was enough to convince her bandmates that it should appear on the album despite it being a slower acoustic based track, something that perhaps didn't initially fit in with the sound that they were going with for the album, but they managed to find a way to fit the song onto the record as they felt that the songs verse and choruses fit in perfectly with the overall voice of their album which is reportedly one of fighting spirit mixed with an air of jadedness.
According to a recent Facebook post from lead singer and primary songwriter 'Amy Meyer', the song is a dedication to Riot! in the Boulevard's loyal fanbase, she said the following about the songs meaning and tribute to their audience, “It's a song that I see as a brief love-letter to our fans and a huge thank you for the support that they have given us over the years. Because lord knows there's been some testing times for all of us but our fans have remained loyal and their support has not wavered, they're still as passionate as they were at the very beginning and the idea behind the song was to write something that hopefully gave some of that hope back to all of our fans and gave them an anthemic song with a positive message. Essentially the song says that we're gonna take some knocks along the way but as long as we keep on fighting and taking on whatever they throw at us, then we have the strength to stand strong and deal with it. Whether it's the loss of a loved one, or whether it's bullying or ridicule and judgement. We're all strong people and we can deal with the worst of times and still come out fighting. So everything you throw at us, we'll swing for the fences and we'll send it straight back.”
“Swinging for the Fences” will be the second single from their upcoming new album “Young Cardinals”, it will also become the twenty first single released from the alternative rock group, highlighting the productivity of the band since debuting back in 2011. It marks a busy beginning to the new year following a relatively quiet year for the band in 2016 but it's expected to be one of the busiest years for the band as they continue to prep their album and likely tour to follow. It's been confirmed that more singles are expected to follow rapidly in the coming months as they begin to embark on a strong promotional campaign having almost completed recording for the album. The single was recorded at Village Studios in Los Angeles, California between October and November 2016 and was produced by Riot! In the Boulevard alongside Cara Zayn, whom has taken the helm at the production booth for the entirety of this new record. The track will debut on streaming websites on February 3, 2017 but will be released officially as a CD Single and Digital Download on February 4, 2017 and distributed through Studio60 Records.
ALTERNATIVE PRESS REVIEW;The song begins with a lead guitar and drum combination faintly heard in the background as the opening vocal delivery from Amy Meyer is accentuated and highlighted in a way that makes it more powerful than the instrumentation initially as her familiar tones below out the opening lines of the song, “I walk into a room, with eyes fixed on the ground/Just another lost soul, looking to be found/I've got the scars on my arms and the sounds in my heart/But I was the dreamer and believer right back from the start.” and it's instantly recognizable as a Riot! In the Boulevard song with it's familiar lyrically progression and traits, the rhyming style and catchy nature of the opening verse sets the tone for what is likely to become another trademark song to add to the back catalogue of this band that appear hell-bent on forging a legacy more than anything else.
As the opening verse comes towards a close, the volume and nature of the instrumentation appears to be turned up as a leading guitar riff combined with a driving and powerful drum beat work in stereo to create a very classic Riot! Feeling to the song, once more as Amy bellows out some carefully crafted lyrics, “They tried to push me away, claiming I was the reason/Like a forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden/But they forgot who I was, deep down inside/The one with the faith and belief that everything will work out alright.” and it feels lyrically like the band are telling a brief story about the last couple of years where they group have taken on a re-genesis of sorts and expanded their sound to go far beyond the pop-punk alleyways that they were once so familiar with and into the great wide open that many have been to fear to tread down. They lost some die-hard fans along the way and we'd be lying if we didn't acknowledge the fact that beyond their die-hard fanbase, the general interest in the band has faded some in recent times and it feels like lyrically this is an Amy Meyer felt sonnet more than anything, a love letter to times gone by and a little reminder that she has a fire deep within that still burns bright.
As we push on to the chorus, the sounds of a bass guitar line and drum beat are powerful, while a faint guitar run in the background helps add a little more emotion to the music as Amy releases a highly addictive send and release call to arms-esque chorus that the band were initially worshipped for as she yells out masterfully, “Well, everything they throw at me/I send it straight back/Everything they aim at me/I'm prepared for their attack/Cause, everything they throw at me/I send it straight back/And everything they aim at me/I'm prepared for their attack.” and it's beautiful and emotional and kind of makes you wish it was 2011 and you're just discovering this band again. But it's clear that this group of musicians has it's own vision and you can't fault the growth from everybody involved. It's just that those fans are getting old alongside them and maybe, just maybe this is the nostalgia that we need.
LYRICS;“I walk into a room, with eyes fixed on the ground
Just another lost soul, looking to be found
I’ve got the scars on my arms and the wounds in my heart
But I was the dreamer and believer right back from the start
See, some things faded away, a little over time
But the one thing remained
I made sure it would always be mine
They tried to push me away, claiming I was the reason
Like a forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden
But they forgot who I was, deep down inside
The one with the faith and belief that everything will work out alright
Well, everything they throw at me
I send it straight back
Everything they aim at me
I’m prepared for their attack
Cause, everything they throw at me
I send it straight back
And everything they aim at me
I’m prepared for their attack
So, if you were swinging for the fences
What would you do?
When all of your wildest dreams come true
Tell me, who’s standing next to you
When all of your wildest dreams come true
Tell me please, who’s standing right there next to you
They can push me around
It’s easy to make the small ones fall to the ground
But the strength comes from within, not the frame that surrounds my skin
And they’ll never quite know, the strength I have inside
I’ve cut negative people out of my life and cast them all aside
And that’s what it takes
If you wanna be great
That’s what it’s gonna take
If you wanna be great
Well, everything they throw at me
I send it straight back
Everything they aim at me
I’m prepared for their attack
Cause, everything they throw at me
I send it straight back
And everything they aim at me
I’m prepared for their attack”
PERSONNEL;Amy Meyer – lead vocals, piano, lyrics, composition, production
Adam Benjamin – lead guitar, backing vocals, lyrics, composition, production
Jason Greenberg – bass guitar, lyrics, composition, production
Billie Langdon – drums, percussion
Cara Zayn – production, mixing, engineering
SOUND ALIKE;Imagine Dragons – Bleeding Out
