The band was founded in 2014 by the cousins Frederik Rabe and Finn Schwieters and the piano player Jonathan Wischniowski and was soon completed by the addition of bass player Luca Göttner and drummer Finn Thomas.[6] In 2015, they released their debut self-produced EPThe Times Are Bursting The Lines. This was followed by another EP New Estate in 2017, which earned them critical acclaim. The release was supported by hundreds of shows all over Europe, eventually landing them a record deal with Irrsinn Tonträger of Universal Music.[7]
In 2019, the EP Wild Stare was released with its title track being a top 20 radio hit in Italy[8] and the whole EP racking up more than 50,000,000 world-wide streams on Spotify soon after its release.[9] In 2020, Giant Rooks announced the release of their debut album ROOKERY on 28 August 2020. Radio X DJ John Kennedy played the band's single "All We Are" on his X-Posure radio show,[10] on the album's release. They went on tour in North America with fellow German band Milky Chance in 2021.[11]
On the Official Singles Chart Top 100 of 25 March 2022 to 31 March 2022, the band achieved their first UK hit when their version of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner", with AnnenMayKantereit, charted at number 63.[12][13] They had concerts in the United States in late 2022.[14]
In 2023, Giant Rooks were one of the openers for English singer-songwriter Louis Tomlinson on the North American leg of his Faith in the Future World Tour, joining at the Nashville concert through the end of the leg before embarking on their own headliner.[15]
Artistry
In 2019 when asked who has influenced their music the most, Giant Rooks answered "Definitely artists like Bob Dylan and Bon Iver."[16] Other influences they have named as a band include James Blake, Celeste, and Joy Crookes.[17]
