Wielding a moody indie sound, Tomte formed in Hamburg, Germany, in 1991 and, following a few minor lineup changes, released their first EP, Blinkmuffel, in 1996. The band's debut full-length, Du Weisst, Was Ich Meine, followed two years later, and another full-length, Eine Sonnige Nacht, hit stores in 2000. In conjunction with fellow Hamburgers Kettcar, the band created its own label, Grand Hotel van Cleef, and released 2003's Hinter All Diesen Fenstern, which launched the group into the mainstream. The album charted in the German Top 50 that year and yielded two singles, "Schreit den Namen Meiner Mutter" and "Die Schonheit der Chance." The group released another album in 2006, Buchstaben Über der Stadt ("Letters Above the City"). ~ TiVo Staff