The Griswolds who hail from Sydney, Australia just put the finishing touches on their highly anticipated debut album with Tony Hoffer (M83, Phoenix, Beck). The band announced today that their first single will be “Beware The Dog.” About the song, said Whitehall… “This is the first song Dan and I ever wrote together. It’s about losing someone we were really close with to heavy drug use. ‘Beware the Dog’ is about that journey – the good and the bad times.”
Last year The Griswolds released their infectious four-song Heart of a Lion EP and upon the release of its first single, “Heart of a Lion,” it was immediately added into high rotation in Australia on triple j radio and was one of the station’s most played tracks of the year. The international airwaves were quick to take notice with the song attracting airplay in over 20 countries worldwide and it also reached #3 on the radio airplay charts in The Netherlands via tastemaker station 3FM and was an iTunes single of the week in the region. Stateside, the release had critics and fans buzzing alike not only with the songs themselves but with their creative videos which all had noteworthy premieres – “Mississippi”premiered with CMJ and was featured onMTV Buzzworthy, the visualizer for the Magic Man remix of the song premiered on Neon Gold, “The Courtship of Summer Preasley”premiered with Paper Magazineand “Red Tuxedo” premiered on Vice Noisey.
The Griswolds just wrapped a tour in Australia with St. Lucia which had one of Australia’s leading music blogs, Tone Deaf boasting that they, “…put on an incredible support set that could have easily been redefined as a co-headline spot. The quintet oozed tropical flamboyance and Aussie ambience, and brought with them a euphoric lasso that hooked audiences from the get-go…‘Beware Of The Dog’, showcased the band’s impressive harmonies and raw heavy percussion, giving the song an infectious live presence that, in hindsight, rivaled many of the headliner’s moments.” They also came off some great shows at SXSW to packed houses and rave reviews including making many best of lists such as, The Huffington Postnaming them as “30 SXSW Acts About to Break,” The Atlantic “18 Bands to Check Out From South by Southwest 2014,” Buzzfeed “50 Acts You Need To Hear,” AU Review naming the band as “Best Australian Artist at SXSW: The Griswolds” and Reverb naming them in their “The best shows at SXSW 2014” list. The Griswolds will be playing shows throughout the rest of the year including Bonnaroo andFirefly as well as select dates with Gemini Club. More dates will be announced soon.
The Griswolds are also currently running a Pledge Music pre-order campaign which gives fans access to exclusive updates and content from the band, plus options for unique merchandise and experiences bundled with an album pre-order. A portion of the proceeds go to benefit the ASPCA / RSCPA. Get more information here:http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/thegriswolds
The Griswolds are Christopher Whitehall (Vocals), Daniel Duque-Perez (Guitars), Lachlan West (Keyboard / Percussion) and Tim John (Bass).
TOUR DATES (MORE DATES WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON):
6/13/14 to 6/15/14 – Bonnaroo – Manchester, TN
6/17/14 –Great Scott – Allston, MA – w/Gemini Club
6/18/14 – Rough Trade – Brooklyn, NY – w/Gemini Club
6/19/14 to 6/22/14 – Firefly – Dover, DE
6/19/14 – Black Cat Backstage – Washington, DC – w/Gemini Club
6/20/14 – Boot and Saddle – Philadelphia, PA – w/Gemini Club
6/24/14 – Brillobox – Pittsburgh, PA – w/Gemini Club
6/25/14 – Grog Shop – Cleveland Heights, OH – w/Gemini Club
6/27/14 – DO 317 – Indianapolis, IN – w/Gemini Club