Grouplove is an American alternative rock band formed in 2009 by Christian Zucconi, Hannah Hooper, Sean Gadd (bass), Andrew Wessen, and Ryan Rabin (drums). The latter produced the band's self-titled debut extended play (2010), which was originally released independently, but later re-released by Atlantic Records following the success of its single, "Colours".
members: Christian Zucconi, Ben Homola, Ryan Rabin, Hannah Hooper, Sean Gadd, Andrew Wessen, Daniel Gleason
formed in: Los Angeles
labels: Atlantic Records
genres: alternative rock
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Grouplove formed out of a friendship among the five members of the band. Hooper met Zucconi on the Lower East Side of Manhattan after hearing music from his former band ALOKE. Despite having just met, Hooper invited Zucconi to an artist residency in Crete she was leaving for later that week. It was at the Ikarus artist commune in the village of Avdou where they met the rest of the band, Andrew Wessen, Ryan Rabin, and Sean Gadd. Rabin, an accomplished drummer and producer, grew up in Los Angeles with Wessen, a surfer and guitarist. Rabin comes from a musical family – his father is Trevor Rabin, former guitarist of Yes. Sean Gadd, a songwriter and guitarist from London, was also at the commune. The friendship between the members formed...
"Tongue Tied" is a song by American indie rock band Grouplove, featured on their debut studio album Never Trust a Happy Song (2011). The song was released as the second single from the album on September 2, 2011.
It was featured in an Apple iPod Touch commercial in 2011. On June 18, 2012, "Tongue Tied" reached the number-one position on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, becoming their first number-one single.
"Tongue Tied" was written by the collective members of Grouplove and produced by Ryan Rabin. The song was recorded by Rabin at Captain Cuts Studios in Los Angeles, California. According to lead vocalist Christian Zucconi, "Tongue Tied" was conceived in swift fashion. While composing the piano score for a "really depressing, moody movie", Zucconi began to play around with various chords before settling on a melody. He then performed an instrumental version for bandmates Hannah Hooper and Sean Gadd.
"Tongue Tied" is a three-minute, 38-second rock and electropop song influenced by indie music. It incorporates elements of synthpop and post-punk. The song is composed in the key of E-flat major using common time and a moderate dance tempo of 106 beats per minute. Andrew Lentz of Drum Magazine noted that "Tongue Tied" has a "dance-y four-on-the-floor feel".
"Tongue Tied" received mixed reviews from critics. Robert Cooke of Drowned in Sound said that the song's "bloated synth sounds like the soundtrack to an advert for some E number-riddled sweets written by Katy Perry, while the almost-rapping in the middle-eight sounds like a Pussycat Dolls pastiche". Matt Edsall of PopMatters said that the song "pumps Passion Pit-like beats that push the band into that same electro-pop category that so many other projects are involved in today, ruining the tone of the album a mere five minutes in". Max Raymond of musicOMH said that the song was a "potential summer smash but too sugar-coated in synths". Huw Jones of Slant Magazine said that "Tongue Tied" and the following track, "Lovely Cup", were lackluster...
The music video, directed by Jordan Bahat, for "Tongue Tied" was released to Vevo and YouTube on July 25, 2011, The video has since gained over 39 million views. The video features the band at a party, and is entirely in reverse. The camera follows a man at the party running away from a group of masked people in suits, ultimately tripping and landing in an inflatable pool. At the beginning of the video, presumably the next morning, he is seen unconscious with his body partially inside of the inflatable pool, being observed by a family who had stumbled across him. At the end (Which, due to the video being in reverse, means it was actually the beginning of the series of events), he is seen eating a brownie presumably containing a...
"Colours" is a song by American indie rock band Grouplove. It is the fourth track from their debut album, Never Trust a Happy Song, and also appeared on their self-titled debut EP.
The song was the first single released from the album, on July 7, 2011, with a music video. The song was produced by Ryan Rabin.
The music video for "Colours" was released on January 4, 2011. It shows the lead singer, Christian Zucconi, being hanged from a tree before the other band members attack, dressed as Native Americans.