Tiny Dolphin is the solo project of Alex Fisher, an American multi-instrumentalist indie rock and pop artist based in Austin, Texas. His first EP “The Sailor’s Wife”, which came out under his given name, was well received by major indie blogs and playlisters.
Alex cites a diverse range of musical influences ranging from classical pianists and contemporary composers to American folk and British rock artists. He attributes his eclectic taste to his experiences living in Austin, Montreal, Munich, and London. These different influences have given him a diverse sound. With a production style so rarely heard these days you can easily picture a future The National, early The Shins, Beirut or Radiohead.
“I think each song should express a feeling or moment as well as possible. I don’t necessarily worry about how the finished product fits in with the rest of their discography, or which genre the song would fit under. Things like your voice, melody and lyrics will tie songs together sufficiently. I think only when you let artistic expression trump concern with consistency in your sound, you get albums that are incredibly interesting – like Tyranny by The Voidz, Julian Casablancas’ latest group”.
With this approach, Tiny Dolphin stays under the general umbrella of pop/rock, but no song is all that similar to another. His lyrics, like many other artists’, are often inspired by platonic, family, and romantic relationships.
“Simplistic or overused lyrics have their place and I appreciate them in the right context, and lyrics rife with metaphors and illusions are also obviously impressive works of art. However, my personal preference is for lyrics that are in the sweet spot somewhere in the middle- between not being understood at first glance and but still accessible with a bit of attention.”
Although he hopes to eventually turn Tiny Dolphin into a traditional collaborative musical project, Alex currently writes and records all of the instrumentation in his bedroom, with the exception of two songs which feature a friend on the bass, and another on the violin. Through these bedroom recordings, Alex hopes to make people either dance or cry (ideally both at the same time).
