ARTIST · INDIE / FOLK

Family of the Year

Handclap intimacy with Laurel Canyon softness—hooks built for road trips and porch lights.

Indie folk
Folk rock

Updated 27 October 2026

Biography

Family of the Year emerged from Los Angeles coffee-house warmth into festival-friendly melody during the early 2010s indie boom.

Stacked vocals and acoustic strums anchor songs that favour sincerity over irony, a palette AAA programmers still understand.

Deeper album cuts stretch tempo and mood without abandoning the close harmonies that defined their breakthrough.

High-bitrate audio keeps mandolin shimmer, brushed snare, and vocal doubles distinct in gentle mixes.

Family of the Year was formed by the brothers Joe and Sebastian Keefe, who grew up in Massachusetts, with James Buckey and Christina Schroeter in Los Angeles. Loma Vista (2012) established the band’s soft harmonies and acoustic sound.

Hero, from that album, reached a much wider audience after it was used in Richard Linklater’s 2014 film Boyhood. The song’s gentle, reflective tone suits the film’s coming-of-age story and has made it a staple of indie-folk playlists.

Interesting facts about Family of the Year

01 American indie-folk band formed in Los Angeles, California around 2009.
02 Loma Vista (2012) featured the single Hero, widely licensed and rotated on alternative formats.
03 Revolves around vocalist and songwriter Joe Keefe with rotating touring players.
04 Hero was featured in Richard Linklater’s film Boyhood (2014).
05 The Keefe brothers founded the band.
06 The band’s harmony-rich sound is often compared to Laurel Canyon folk rock.