The importance of a song’s first five seconds really can’t be overstated. I really wasn’t sure about The Griswolds’ “Mississippi” because the name conjured in my mind an image of just-another-folk-group singing about, well, Mississippi. Admittedly, that prejudice was unfair and unwarranted, but that’s just what happens when you name your song after a state from the Deep South. The first five seconds of “Mississippi,” though, completely destroyed the prejudice–it said this was going to be fun.
If I’d pay attention to the information in the email, though, I’d have known that The Griswolds were an Australian five-piece from Sydney. So I probably wouldn’t have been so surprised when I realized that The Griswolds sounded like a tropically-infused Jinja Safari. “Mississippi” is indie-pop done right and it makes sense that, while we’re all toiling away in winter up here, the Australians in the other hemisphere are having fun-filled summer parties. At least, that’s what their music would indicate.
“Mississippi” is the first song released from the group’s debut EP, due out in June. Don’t be surprised if you see me jumping all over them ala Jinja Safari. I’ve got a feeling about these guys.