Formed in 1999, Sweeter Than The Day began simply as the acoustic incarnation of Zony Mash. The band played a series of weekly shows at Seattle's Baltic Room, and quickly became Wayne Horvitz’s first piano-based ensemble in over 10 years. Despite the shared personnel, the ensemble is quite distinct from the electric Zony Mash and the repertoire is almost entirely different. At some point, Horvitz decided it needed its own name to match its distinct sound. Horvitz read the phrase "sweeter than the day" in an old hymnal that he found with a pump organ he bought with his wife, fellow pianist and composer Robin Holcomb. He first named a composition "Sweeter Than the Day", but liked the phrase so much he attached it to his band. Managing to be both tuneful and highly angular in the same breath, they have received audience and critical acclaim both here and abroad. Chris Ingham of Mojo (UK) said Sweeter Than The Day possess "a quietly powerful chamber modernism full of eclectic composedly acumen that makes dream-like reference to jazz, country, folk and hymn-like material."