Cardiff-based Swim Party veers from Washington-bred grunge to indie math rock, with some violin thrown in for a touch of progressive punch à la King Crimson and Frank Zappa.

The band formed in 2005, when Eric Tremblay and Petro Halkowycz (New Jersey) moved to San Diego, hooking up with San Diegan and Texas transplant Nadia Shihab.

According to their MySpace page, “In 2006, Nadia was awarded a scholarship that was too good to turn down and departed to do research in Turkey, and we remaining three trudged on as a three-piece (though Nadia is still a member in our minds).”

Their debut album was nominated for a 2008 San Diego Music Award, for Best Alternative Album. In October 2008, Filter Magazine named the Undiscovered Band of the Month, and their live performance on Fuel TV led to Swim Party songs being used for various program soundtracks.

In early 2009, the band was joined by keyboardist Natalie Kardos, also a well-known local event photographer and blogger, though the group became inactive (though not defunct) after Tremblay departed San Diego.

After a two-year hiatus, Swim Party played a reunion show at the Soda Bar on February 9, 2013, while Tremblay was visiting from his new home in Switzerland.