Rock Music Is Currently Having a Moment on Spotify’s Viral 50
Rock music is currently making waves in a viral way on Spotify. This week, three rock bands populate the Spotify ranking that the music streaming service uses to track viral hits in the U.S. on its platform — and one band has more than one song on it.
That ranking would be the Viral 50 – USA playlist, Spotify's noted barometer for the most trending tracks that are delighting stateside listeners at present. But is it shocking that multiple rock songs now appear on it?
For the week of Nov. 7, the anthemic "Just Pretend" by the alt-metal quartet Bad Omens sits at No. 5 on the Viral 50. Then there's "About You," a U2-like ballad by pop-rockers The 1975 that's at No. 19.
And the proggy math-rock act Polyphia have the No. 41 and No. 44 spots with two collaborations from Remember That You Will Die, their new album released last month.
Listen to the Spotify Viral 50 playlist below.
"Just Pretend" is holding steady for the Noah Sebastian-led Bad Omens after going viral on TikTok. Loud music lovers on the video-sharing app have used the single from this year's The Death of Peace of Mind to show the strength of emotional rock lyrics, such as in this example.
The 1975's "About You" is a new entry on the Viral 50, having just emerged last month on the Matty Healy-fronted group's latest album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language. (Healy may not be a huge fan of metal, however. In August, he called Metallica his "worst band of all time.")
Polyphia's "Ego Death," at No. 44, features the legendary guitar shredder Steve Vai. "ABC," a Polyphia song now at No. 41, features pop/R&B singer Sophia Black. (Polyphia guitarist Tim Henson recently mused that it's "not really cool" to be in a metal band.)
Spotify says its Viral 50 for the U.S. updates weekly with the most shared, trending tracks across the entire country. There's also a Viral 50 – Global playlist on Spotify.
Listen to all the aforementioned songs below.