Tiny Animals

Tiny Animals – Sweet Sweetness – 05.12.09

New York City’s power trio, Tiny Animals, is releasing their debut full-length album Sweet Sweetness (North Street Records) on May 12, 2009. Sweet Sweetness, recorded in New York in the fall of 2008 and mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer (who’s worked with Rich Costey on Interpol, Brand New, Franz Ferdinand, Foo Fighters, and Muse), offers twelve tracks of bright, gimmick-free pop-rock.

Tiny Animals was formed after Chris Howerton (guitar, vocals) and Anton Kreisl’s (bass) previous group Fighterpilot disbanded, and Chris’ sister, Rita Maye Howerton (drums) joined. Chris is the owner of North Street Records, home to Dirty on Purpose, Sam Champion, and TAB the Band. Anton, a recorded solo artist, has opened for Jason Mraz. They cite Rita Maye (also a classical pianist and dancer) as the backbone of Tiny Animals. “She is the driving force behind the band; she keeps me in line when I get lost in my own head,” says Chris.

“With Tiny Animals, what you see is what you get,” says Rita Maye. “We’re never really trying to create a specific image. We come as we are in rehearsal, on stage, and in the studio.” Like many of us, the members of Tiny Animals have struggled with losing loved ones, finding their place in the world, the poor economy and losing their jobs. North Street Records aside, Chris admits to losing every job he’s held since graduating college in 2001. As creative minds do, Chris used his frustrations to end his songwriting drought. Sweet Sweetness is the product of bittersweet inspiration and passionate work on three musicians’ crafts.

The songs “Youth Today” and “Useless” highlight the accessibility of Sweet Sweetness that appeals to the masses, but all tracks are arranged for someone with an appreciation of sophisticated songwriting and instrumentation to enjoy as well. When Rita Maye learned to play drums she was obsessed with James Brown and funk. While Tiny Animals’ sound strays from funk, the band borrows the genre’s emphasis on the rhythm section being locked in with all instruments. Add that to Chris’ education in jazz and classical music, and Anton’s advanced arranging skills, and you’ve got a musically complex pop-rock album with tempo changes and syncopated rhythms, balanced by harmonic/melodic simplicity.

“Avalanche” is a strong example of Tiny Animals’ advanced songwriting. Originally written on acoustic guitar, the song was recorded with drums, guitars, bass, glockenspiel, violin, and layers of vocals. “It builds in loudness and intensity,” says Chris. “Each time we recorded, it evolved more and more.”

While performing at 2008’s SXSW, Tiny Animals caught the attention of MTV’s John Norris. Soon after, The Tripwire, New York’s K-ROCK and Boston’s WFNX picked up tracks from Sweet Sweetness before it was even mastered. With these tastemakers already on board and a spring/summer tour planned, it won’t be long before Tiny Animals wins hearts across the country.