“Persistence is the key ingredient when it comes to the story of Miniature Tigers. Originally started as a bedroom project by front-man Charlie Brand in Phoenix, Arizona in 2006, the band has since released 4 studio albums, toured the planet and cultivated a cult base of die hard fans through their constant output of brilliantly written records. Early albums such as Tell It To the Volcano and FORTRESS garnered them critical acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, NPR and Stereogum while later albums such as Mia Pharaoh and Cruel Runnings (recorded in Jamaica) sent them on more futuristic indie-pop realms, garnering support from Neon Gold and festival appearances at Lollapalooza, ACL, Fun Fun Fun, and international touring with multi-platinum act Fun.
Like many bands after nearly a decade of hard work and moderate success, Charlie Brand started considering his future. He started an exciting buzz-worthy project with close friend Jeremy Malvin (Chrome Sparks) called Promises Ltd. , wrote and produced for other artists such as rapper Skizzy Mars and after a long relationship came to and end, naturally he turned to what he always turned to….and the output took shape in what eventually would become Miniature Tigers 5th LP.
“I Dreamt I Was a Cowboy was written after the end of a long relationship. I wanted to leave those recordings intentionally raw to maintain the feeling of that time. I wanted it to feel clear and immediate.” As the “demos” came together, it became evident that the recordings were actually album cuts. “I spent a few months couch surfing with friends in Texas and New York before eventually moving to Los Angeles. Many of the songs on the record were written and recorded while I was living on someone’s air mattress. This album felt so specifically personal that when it came time to finish I decided to not re-record anything in a studio and to just mix and master it myself. ”
The end result is a 5th album jam packed with the excitement and energy of a debut album…but with the mastery that can only come from a seasoned writer like Brand, where the lessons learned and scars born from a life dedicated to music are not in this case in vain but celebrated in the mastery of expression in it’s truest form.
Musically Amusing 