El Perro del Mar

El Perro del Mar was founded in the end of 2003 around the idea and need of making music on terms of one’s own. Behind the alter-ego is the sole member Sarah Assbring. Sarah started out as what is often referred to as an mp3-artist and in spring 2004 the first cdr-ep ’Baby, I’ve been in a bad place’ was released by the then newly started Swedish label Hybris. Hybris would remain El Perro del Mar’s Scandinavian label home until 2007. Two more cdr-ep:s, ’I’ve got good news’ and ’Holiday Special’, were released shortly thereafter. In late 2004 the first official ep ’What’s new? El Perro del Mar!’ was released, including the the songs ’I can’t talk about it’, ’This Loneliness’ and ’It’s all good’. Also around this time, she contributed with the song ’Shake it off’ on a joint and very limited split single initiated by friend Jens Lekman. She joined him shortly thereafter as opening act on his tour in Sweden. In May 2005 all the previous unofficial and official releases were gathered to form the compilation album ’Look! It’s El Perro del Mar!’. Later that year the ep ’God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get)’ was released and in December El Perro del Mar and Swedish artist Jenny Wilson performed together in the winter concert ’Under a Starlit Sky’ at Södra Teatern in Stockholm. During spring 2006 a reworked version of the album was released in England and Europe by British label Memphis Industries. El Perro del Mar went touring as support act for José Gonzalez as well as on her own. By the end of 2006 the self-titled album was released in the U.S. as well as in Australia and New Zealand. The album received rave reviews. El Perro del Mar also made a short yet highly successful tour in Brazil, again joined by friend Jens Lekman. In spring 2007 El Perro del Mar toured the U.S. together with her band consisting of Jesper Jarold (Fontän), Björn Synneby (pacific!) and Jon Ölmeskog(Silverbullit). El Perro del Mar left the label Hybris and found a new home on Licking Fingers, the Concretes very own label. It was time for new ideas and new ways. During the spring and summer of 2007 the work on the second album ’From the Valley to the Stars’ began. The recordings were done in her own studio in Gothenburg. El Perro del Mar took a short break from the recordings to join the band TV on the Radio for some shows in Spain - her only shows that summer. With the exception of a trip around India in the fall the intense work on the album lasted until December 2007. Contributing to the album is Jesper Jarold on guitar/bass, Nils Törnqvist on drums, Kristin Lidell on trumpet and Björn Synneby on sitar and additional vocals. Also contributing are the musicians from the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra Björn Bohlin on oboe, Lisa Ford on horn and Charles Deramus on double bass. Singers from the Gothenburg Symphonic Choir also contributed with additional chorals. ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________ ’From the Valley to the Stars’ was released in Scandinavia on the 27th of February 2008. The release date for the album in the U.S. is the 22:nd of April and in UK on the 19th of May. It will be released in Australia as well as in New Zealand shortly thereafter.