We’ve all aspired, at some point or the other, to be somebody else, somebody rich and famous. Bengaluru alternative rock band All The Fat Children (ATFC), take that aspiration to a new level in their new single and music video, ‘Somebody Else’.
The five-minute song, shot in a white room, is an earworm typical of the heavy riff-based soundscape ATFC are identified with. “We like keeping it simple and with ‘Somebody Else’, it doesn’t get simpler than that,” says frontman, guitarist and vocalist Eben Johnson. With bassist and backing vocalist Vickram Kiran and drummer Sachin Savio Dane, the three-piece band puts up a mean, tight composition that will have you playing the song on repeat all day.
Shot in a godown painted white in Kammanahalli, the video was done in 24 hours. “It was a lot of fun and since we tried to paint as well, it was very sweaty. We didn’t want to over-edit the video either. It is as raw as naturally possible.”
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The video showcases the band, Eben points out. “We wanted to keep it as simple and real as possible,” he reiterates. “This is our first completely self-funded music video. It cost quite a bit but we are happy with the way it hs turned out,” he adds.
The video is layered and you could read a lot into the seemingly simple video. Eben explains, “The lyrics are simple and straightforward. As a child I have always had this white room concept. A certain emptiness can be a dark thing but if you put it in the perspective of a white room, it becomes positive. There are literary connections, but I have my own reasons. Singing ‘Somebody Else’ is relatable too, since no one is really satisfied with where they are.”
Elaborating on fat rock, the name they’ve given to their alternative rock sound, Eben says the idea behind the term is that the majority of their music is very riff-based. “It is very in-your-face music with low key, pulp-sounding distortion sounds. Hence the term fat rock.”
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Formed out of Christ University in 2008, the three-piece band happened because “Somehow I never got along with other lead guitarists. There is so much to do, so much they want to say and so much they want to do. I couldn’t find the guitarist who will go along with my understanding of things so I just decided to go with it,” says Eben.
On how their sound has evolved over the years, the frontman points out: “We’ve always used less effects. Even back then we were quite a raw-sounding band. And over the years we’ve become even more raw. It has pretty much made lot of stuff less complicated in terms of sound.”
Post the video, the band is working on releasing another video. Eben elaborates: “We realised one thing over the years. People expect us to have an album around. We don’t have one. We have never supported the idea of an album. I have personally bought only two albums in my life. I never saw the point in it. The idea of a single was good. Now we are thinking of doing an EP just for the people who know our songs, want to listen to them together and hear a lot more of us.”
To bands that identify with them and want to follow in their steps, Eben says, “Be smart! The younger generations come and try to play that one riff and think they are great. Or they give up too easily. At the end of the day, they have to realise that music is also a business. You need to figure things out. Don’t expect everything to come fall into your lap. If you are serious about it, be smart about it.”
ATFC got its name since all of them were fat when they formed the band. Eben laughs and says: “At one point, all of us weighed above 100 kilos. At least in India we’ll be called fat. Maybe abroad, they’ll call us slightly overweight! But yeah, we are touching obesity. Our bass player is definitely there and the rest of us are getting back there.”
If you haven’t spotted the video on VH1 and Pepsi MTV Indies already, here is the YouTube link - https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=CYRDDWLn470