Tiny Animals formed in 2007, one year after the breakup of frontman Chris Howerton’s previous band, Fighterpilot. Joined by younger sister Rita Maye Howerton and bassist Philip Galitzine, Howerton wasted little time writing alt rock songs for his new group, and Tiny Animals entered the recording studio with producer Darryl Neudorf before the year was up. Although they emerged from the studio with a full album, they eventually scrapped those songs and recorded a second album on their own, with former Fighterpilot bassist Anton Kreisl replacing Galitzine (who had left to join the Brooklyn-based Atomic Tom). The result was Sweet Sweetness, a mix of alt rock and pop material that was released in 2009 by North Street Records. ~ Andrew Leahey