Our debut album "Castles in the Sand" is finally here, and we can't wait to share it with you!

One of the strange things about an album is that fans and artists often experience it in opposite directions. As fans, our journey starts with the cover art. We ponder the image and how it might relate to the songs we're about to hear. Then come the opening notes. Song by song, we follow the story of the album, rising and falling with the music, but linearly--beginning, middle, end. This is what the artist intended for us. It is a beautiful experience.

But the artist's own journey is different. The artwork that made such a strong first impression? That was the last piece they added. The guitar intro that kicks off the first track began as one of four takes. Track 5 was finished before Track 4. And that three-minute wall of sound you hear spent months under construction, one layer at a time. And this is also a beautiful experience.

As fans, we have favorite album moments we love to remember. We have our favorite memories as a band, too. Getting to record at Musicol, Columbus' oldest recording studio. Inviting a friend to sing harmony on a whim. Trying a real Hammond organ. Rushing home so we could listen to the newest mix... non-stop the rest of the week. There was the day Lynde brought buckeyes. The day Aaron taught us that pepperoni and mushroom was the best combo. The day the mixing board blew up. There was the rhythm track that took two takes. And the one that took 20. You won't hear any of this on the album. But this is how we will always remember it.

Our most precious memories from this album are of the people who made it all happen. There were musicians. Josh Cook and his soulful voice. Los Giles' irreplaceable backbeat. Scott Rupp's funky jazz fills. There were audio engineers. Keith Hanlon and Dylan Batt who knew just the right mic for every job. Joe Procopio of 2Track Mastering who took Keith's and Dylan's mixes to the next level. And our good friend Fred Langford who documented everything with more patience than we knew existed.

We are so grateful to everyone who contributed to this project. Enjoy!

-Aaron, Will, Mike, Lynde, & Carlie