The Griswolds

The Griswolds
Origin	Sydney, Australia
Genres	Alternative dance, rock, pop, electronic
Years active	2012–present
Labels	Wind-up Records
Website	wearethegriswolds.com
Members	Christopher Whitehall Tim John Daniel Duque-Perez Lachlan West

The Griswolds are a four-piece indie rock band from Sydney, Australia. The band have cited influences such as Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Kanye West, Devendra Banhart, Of Montreal, and The Beach Boys.^[1] The Griswolds signed with Wind-up Records in May 2013 and began recording their debut album shortly after with producer Tony Hoffer. They are named after the fictional family from the Vacation film series.^[2]

Background

The Griswolds formed in February 2012.^[3][4] The band's single "Heart of a Lion", reached #12 on the We Are Hunted emerging artists list.^[5]

The Griswolds became a Triple J Unearthed feature artist after winning a slot on the 2012 Parklife Festival line-up alongside Passion Pit and The Presets.^[6] Their Heart of a Lion EP, released in 2012, received positive reviews,^[7][8][9] and helped start their touring career.^[10] After success touring in their native Australia, the band made their first live appearance in New York City on May 11, 2013 at the Brooklyn Bowl.^[11] The band began recording their debut album with producer Tony Hoffer in January 2014.^[12]

The official music video for "Red Tuxedo" premiered on the VICE Noisey website on Valentine's Day (February 14), 2014.^[13] The band's song "Beware the Dog" is the first song vocalist Chris Whitehall and lead guitarist Daniel Duque-Perez wrote together. Whitehall described it as being "about losing someone we were really close with to heavy drug use. [... It's] about that journey – the good and the bad times."^[14]

In March 2015, the band confirmed that once they return to Australia, following their tour alongside Passion Pit, they were going to commence work on their second album.^[12]

The first single off their sophomore album, Out of My Head, was released on August 12, 2016. High Times for Low Lives, was released on November 11, 2016.^[15]

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US [16]	US Heat. [16]	US Ind. [16]
Be Impressive	Released: August 25, 2014[17] Label: Relativity, Wind-Up Formats: CD, LP, digital download	197	7	33
High Times for Low Lives	Released: November 11, 2016 Label: Relativity, Wind-Up Formats: CD, LP, digital download	-	-	-

Extended plays

• 2014: Heart of a Lion^[18]

Singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions		Album
		US Rock [16]	US Alt. [16]
"Heart of a Lion"	2012	—	—	Heart of a Lion (EP)
"Beware The Dog"	2014	33	18	Be Impressive
"If You Wanna Stay"	2015	—	40
"Out of My Head"[19]	2016	—	—	High Times for Low Lives

Awards and accolades

• "Beware the Dog" was voted #28 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2014^[20]
• "Beware the Dog" was voted #4 on the Sirius XM Alt Nation Alt 36 annual countdown ^[21]
• "Beware the Dog" was nominated by Rolling Stone as Best Video Clip and Single of the year for 2014^[22]
• "Beware the Dog" Spent 4 weeks at #1 and a total of 16 weeks on the Sirius XM Alt Nation Alt 18 Countdown in 2014 ^[23]
• "Beware the Dog" Was chosen as the 4th best Alternative Rock Single of 2014 by Billboard ^[24]
• "If You Wanna Stay" Debuted at #18 on the Sirius XM Alt Nation Alt 18 countdown the day after the single was released on US radio climbing to #17 the following week ^[23]
• Debut album "Be Impressive" Charted at #5 on the USA iTunes Charts ^[25]
• "Heart of a Lion" was voted #141 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2012^[26]
• "Heart of a Lion" charted at #12 on the We Are Hunted Emerging Artists chart^[27]
• "Mississippi" charted at #8 on US college radio's (CMJ) indie chart^[28]
• Featured on festival line-ups across the globe^[29]

References

1. https://web.archive.org/web/20130509163807/http://www.myamn.com.au/index.php/en/artists/item/702-the-griswolds. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
2. http://blog.wearethegriswolds.com
4. "The Griswolds | whatisthehaps | Life enthusiasts talk travel, music, art & culture". whatisthehaps. 2012-06-11. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
5. "Signs The Griswolds". Wind-up Records. 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
6. https://web.archive.org/web/20131212193659/http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/features/qanda/209296/griswolds.htm. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
7. "REVIEW: The Griswolds 'Heart of a Lion' EP". Purple Sneakers. 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
8. "Hipsters, meet your new faMvourite band – The Griswolds « A Thousand Guitars". Athousandguitars.com. 2013-12-25. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
9. "The Griswolds – Heart Of A Lion EP - The GROUND Magazine". Thegroundmag.com. 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
10. "The Griswolds Announce Heart Of a Lion Tour | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
11. "The Griswolds Hurl a Strike at Brooklyn Bowl". Review Fix. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
12. "Interview: The Griswolds – "Tony Hoffer Pushed Us To Our Absolute Creative Limits"". Inveterate. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
13. "Play The Griswolds' Video for "Red Tuxedo" on Your Valentine's Date Tonight | NOISEY". Noisey.vice.com. 2014-02-14. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
14. Law, Tarynn (2014-05-13). "The Griswolds - 'Beware the Dog' | New Music | The 405". Thefourohfive.com. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
16. "The Griswolds Awards at AllMusic". AllMusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
17. ""Be Impressive" by The Griswolds at Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
18. "Heart of a Lion (EP) by The Griswolds at MusicBrainz". musicbrainz.org. MusicBrainz. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
19. The Griswolds get 'Out of My Head' with new single premiere
20. "1-100 List | Hottest 100 2014 | triple j". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
21. "Top 36 of 2014 - The Unofficial Alt-18". Theunofficialalt18countdownplaylists.com. 2014-12-27. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
22. "Rolling Stone Australia — Nominees Announced For The 6th Annual Rolling Stone Awards". Rollingstoneaus.com. 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
23. "The Unofficial Alt-18 - The Unofficial Alt-18". Theunofficialalt18countdownplaylists.com. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
24. "Year in Music 2014: The 10 Best Rock & Alternative Singles From Sleater-Kinney, Grimes & More". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
25. "Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
26. "200-101 | Hottest 100 - 2012 | triple j". Abc.net.au. 2013-01-26. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
27. "Lime Cordiale & The Griswolds at The Lair at Metro Theatre (Sydney) on 15 Sep 2012 –". Last.fm. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
28. https://web.archive.org/web/20140310001850/http://homebake.com.au/2012/projects/the-griswolds/. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
29. "The Griswolds". Chuggentertainment.com. Retrieved 2015-06-12.

External links

• The Griswolds' website
• The Griswolds' Facebook
• The Griswolds' Bandcamp
• The Griswolds' Twitter
• Wind-up Records
• The Griswolds on Last.fm
• Jimmy Howes