''A Reason to Swim'' is the third EP of

singer/songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted thr ...

Joe Brooks and is his first independent release following his departure from

Lava Records Lava Records (Lava Music, LLC) is an American record label owned by Jason Flom in partnership with Universal Music Group. Company history In 1995, Flom launched Lava Records in partnership with Atlantic Records. For the next decade, he continue ...

Universal Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an i ...

. It was released through Fantastic Music LLC in the US on September 6, 2011.

History

''A Reason to Swim'' is the fourth overall release of artist Joe Brooks and his third EP. Following being dropped from

in early 2011 Brooks quickly began putting together music for an EP release. To fund the album independently Brooks started a

threshold pledge system The threshold pledge or fund and release system is a way of making a fundraising pledge as a group of individuals, often involving charitable goals or financing the provision of a public good. An amount of money is set as the goal or ''threshold'' ...

through the site

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

. Designated the "Fans Only EP", people who pledged money were able to receive signed memorabilia, access to Joe Brooks concerts or even a prom date with Brooks. Funding for the album exceeded its goal, with additional money going toward the filming of the music video "Holes Inside." "Holes Inside" was released on YouTube a day after the album, on September 7. The EP was licensed and released by Sony in Korea and Malaysia. As part of the promotion, Brooks attended a media tour in Korea to support ''A Reason to Swim'', appearing on national television and Korean publications of

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...

and

Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'', targeted at teenagers. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and celebrities. Since ...

. The song "Someday (OK)" was also featured on

Superstar K3 ''Superstar K3'' () is the third season of the South Korean television talent show series ''Superstar K'', broadcast by M.net. The theme song for this season, "Fly" is written by producer Park Keun-tae and sung by Super Junior-K.R.Y. It was rele ...

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians

* Joe Brooks: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar (all tracks) String Arrangement (track 4) *

Rune Westberg Rune Westberg is a Danish born songwriter, record producer, mixer and multi instrumentalist living and working in Los Angeles. He has written and produced for artists including Adam Lambert, Colbie Caillat, Daughtry, Prince Royce, Jesse & Joy, ...

: Electric Guitar, Bass, Programming (tracks 1,5,6) * Mikal Blue: Bass (tracks 2,4,5) String Arrangement (track 4) * Eric Nelson: (track 2) * Billy Hawn: Guitar (track 2) * Matt Mayhall: (track 3) * Stuart Brawley: Rhodes, Harp, Organ, Strings (track 3) * Adam Hamilton: Bass (track 3) * Joe Corcoran: Horns, Electric Guitar * Sara Haze: Background Vocals (track 4) * Victor Indrizzo: Drums (track 4) * David Levita: Guitars (track 4) * Kevin Daniel: Piano (track 4) * Fredrick Bokkenheuser: Drums (track 5)

Production

* Mikal Blue: Producer * Rune Westberg: Producer * Stuart Brawley: Producer * Jess Sojka: Engineer * Joe Yannece: Mastering * Joe Corcoran: Digital Editing * Ehud Kaldes: Engineer * Ken Krongard: Management * Reid Hunter: Legal * Joe Brooks: Art Direction, Design, Cover Art * Felicia Simion: Cover Photography * Shane Fabila: Inside Photography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reason To Swim 2011 EPs Albums produced by Mikal Blue Joe Brooks (singer) EPs