Swimming With Dolphins To Release Water Colours

 Swimming With Dolphins will release their debut album, Water Colours, on May 17 via Tooth & Nail. The ambient synth-pop singer/songwriter, Austin Tofte, formally of Owl City, is currently on tour with Family Force 5 in support of the compelling disc, which was greatly inspired by the ocean and fond childhood memories of America's largest lakes. The album's first single, "Sleep To Dream," will be digitally released April 26 and is available to stream at on the band's Facebook page,http://www.facebook.com/swimmingwithdolphins, today. 

Produced by Aaron Sprinkle (Anberlin, The Almost) and Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount (Cartel, Mayday Parade), Water Colours expands upon Tofte's contemporary synth-pop, which he previously explored on 2008's Ambient Blue EP, boasting heartfelt lyrics and a vibrant sonic palette. The disc represents two-plus years of songwriting by Tofte and has a deeply organic, human feel. 

"There's a lot more tribulation in this record that inspired lyrics," Tofte says of the album. "There's a long relationship throughout half the process that those songs are about-the different phases of the relationship. It is a really relational record, and pretty intimate and revealing of my emotions and the things I was going through. I love poppy, toe-tapping stuff, but I don't really find myself writing a lot of lyrics that just put the cherry on top of that."

Swimming With Dolphins was born in 2008 when Tofte teamed with friend Adam Young on a side project to Young's Owl City band. Tofte eventually left Owl City to make this his full-time gig, eventually signing with Tooth & Nail and heading into the studio to record Water Colours. Swimming With Dolphins has since toured with Owl City, Lydia and We Are the In Crowd. 

The tour with Family Force 5 kicked off on Friday April 15 in Atlanta, GA, along with Stereo Skyline and Since Forever, and concludes on May 15 in Kansas City, MO. 

"I'm ready to be on the road," Tofte says. "I've spent a lot of time writing and in the studio, and I've  got a band now, and we're all excited about it. It's awesome. I feel like we're going to have fun on this record, for a while, and it's been a long time coming. It feels like a new chapter."

Hear "Sleep To Dream" http://www.facebook.com/swimmingwithdolphins