The Griswolds
| Company type | Indie rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | February 2012 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
| Website | www |
The Griswolds were an indie rock duo originating from Sydney, Australia. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Vampire Weekend, MGMT, and Kanye West, they secured a deal with Wind-up Records in May 2013 and commenced work on their first album with producer Tony Hoffer. Their band name was derived from the fictional family featured in the Vacation film series.
The group ceased activities following lead vocalist Chris Whitehall's 2020 admission of sexual misconduct involving several underage fans.[1]
Background
Established in February 2012, The Griswolds initially attracted attention with their track "Heart of a Lion," which climbed to #12 on the We Are Hunted emerging artists chart. After earning a spot on the 2012 Parklife Festival lineup alongside acts like Passion Pit and The Presets, they were spotlighted as a Triple J Unearthed artist. Their 2012 Heart of a Lion EP garnered favorable critiques and marked the beginning of their touring journey.
Building on their Australian success, they made their American live debut at Brooklyn Bowl in New York City in May 2013. Recording sessions for their debut album with Tony Hoffer started in January 2014. The official video for "Red Tuxedo" premiered on VICE Noisey in February 2014. The song "Beware the Dog," co-written by Whitehall and guitarist Daniel Duque-Perez, addresses themes of loss associated with substance abuse.
In March 2015, following a tour with Passion Pit, the band revealed intentions to produce a second album. The lead single Out of My Head was released on 12 August 2016, preceding the album High Times for Low Lives, which came out on 11 November 2016.[2]
September 2016 saw The Griswolds receive recognition as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month in the United States, performing "Out of My Head" live on NBC's Today show.
On 16 March 2017, bassist Tim John officially left the group.[3]
Their first release since 2016 arrived on 30 August 2019 with "Nice To Meet Ya!," the lead single from their second EP.
In September 2020, multiple allegations of sexual misconduct by underage fans were made against frontman Chris Whitehall. He publicly acknowledged and apologized for these accusations, accepting full responsibility for his conduct.[1]
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | US | US Heat. | US Ind. | ||
| Be Impressive |
|
62 | 197 | 7 | 33 |
| High Times for Low Lives |
|
— | — | 21 | — |
Extended plays
- 2014: Heart of a Lion
- 2020: All My Friends
Singles
| Title | Year | Highest chart rankings |
Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS Hit. | US Rock | US Alt. | |||
| "Heart of a Lion" | 2012 | — | — | — | Heart of a Lion (EP) |
| "Beware The Dog" | 2014 | 3 | 33 | 18 | Be Impressive |
| "If You Wanna Stay" | 2015 | — | — | 40 | Be Impressive |
| "Out of My Head" | 2016 | — | — | — | High Times for Low Lives |
| "Light Me Up" (with Max Styler) |
2018 | — | — | — | Non-album single |
Awards and recognition
- The track "Beware the Dog" secured the #28 spot on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2014 and was placed #4 on Sirius XM Alt Nation Alt 36's yearly countdown.
- In 2014, Rolling Stone nominated the single for both Best Video Clip and Single of the Year.
- "Beware the Dog" maintained the top position on Sirius XM Alt Nation Alt 18 Countdown for four consecutive weeks, spending a total of sixteen weeks on the chart that year.
- Billboard ranked it as the fourth best Alternative Rock Single in 2014.
- The song "If You Wanna Stay" entered Sirius XM Alt Nation Alt 18 at #18 and climbed to #17 in its second week.
- Their debut album, Be Impressive, achieved a peak position of #5 on the USA iTunes Charts.
- "Heart of a Lion" reached #141 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2012 and attained #12 on the We Are Hunted Emerging Artists chart.
- "Mississippi" earned an #8 spot on the US college radio (CMJ) indie chart.
- The band has appeared on prominent festival line-ups internationally.
External links
- Official website of The Griswolds
- The Griswolds on Facebook
- The Griswolds' Bandcamp page
- The Griswolds' Twitter account
- Wind-up Records official site
- The Griswolds at Last.fm
- Jimmy Howes Entertainment
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:0 - ↑ "The Griswolds Announce New Album and Premiere Title Track". Entertainment Weekly.
- ↑ Carissimi, Danny (2017-06-15). "Sugar High Podcast: Testicles, Drugs, and Rock n Roll". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 2025-01-28.