For the past two months, alternative rock band Grouplove has been touring with the best-selling artist Imagine Dragons on their Evolve tour.
Best known for their song “Tongue Tied,” Grouplove is not widely known by mainstream music listeners. Many listeners have heard songs by them but simply do not realize it. Grouplove produced songs for movies such as “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Paper Towns” and even play the ending credits music for the Netflix original series “Bojack Horseman.” Known for their edgy style and innovative music, the band has become an icon in the alternative music industry.
Grouplove was formed in 2009 and is made up of members Hannah Hooper (vocals and keyboards), Christian Zucconi (vocals and guitar), Andrew Wessen (guitar and vocals) and Ryan Rabin (drums). The band evolved out of a friendship between the members. They played their first show on May 10, 2010 in Los Angeles. Later that year, they went on a West Coast tour with Florence and the Machine.
Before signing with their current record label, the band had financial struggles. They had to license their song “Getaway Car” to HBO’s “How to Make It in America” just to get by. Once the band signed with Atlantic Records, they re-released their self-titled EP on Jan. 25, 2011.
Since its creation in 2010 the band has released four albums: “Grouplove,” “Never Trust a Happy Song,” “Spreading Rumors” and “Big Mess and Little Mess.” Grouplove has also performed at a number of music festivals across the country as well as had their own Big Mess tour last year.
Performing alongside Imagine Dragons is a huge breakthrough for Grouplove. Imagine Dragons has won a number of awards including Billboard No.1 Rock Artist. Their song “Radioactive” was Billboard’s No.1 Hot Rock song of 2013 as well as No.1 Alternative song of 2013. “Radioactive” is also the longest-charting single on the Billboard’s top 100, lasting a total of 87 weeks. Imagine Dragons is also the only band with two songs in the Top Ten Most Downloaded Rock Songs in History.
I was fortunate enough to catch the tour when I was in Washington D.C. this past weekend. As a huge Grouplove fan, it was great to see them out on such a big stage with a large audience. The song set they chose for the concert was “Welcome to Your Life,” “Shark Attack,” “Sabotage,” “Tongue Tied” and “Colours.” The exposure they will get from this tour will be incredible.
The Evolve Tour began on Sept. 26, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona and will conclude on April 26, 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden.
Abby Goss is a fourth-year student majoring in English with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at AG826189@wcupa.edu.