Surf Curse had been making music for years, but mainstream success wasn’t really on their radar. Their 2013 song ‘Freaks’ was just another track on their debut album, ‘Buds,’ mostly known within indie circles. But in 2020, something unexpected happened—’Freaks’ started popping up in TikTok videos. By mid-2021, it had completely blown up on the platform, bringing in millions of new listeners.
Suddenly, a song that had been sitting in the background for almost a decade was everywhere. Surf Curse jumped on the moment, signing with Atlantic Records and re-releasing ‘Freaks’ as a single in May 2021. A few months later, in August, they put out an official music video, which quickly racked up millions of views.
Indie Underdogs Become Viral Sensation
Before ‘Freaks’ took off, Surf Curse had a solid but small fanbase. Their music had a following in indie and surf rock scenes, but they weren’t selling out major festivals or hitting the charts. That all changed once TikTok got involved.
With its raw, lo-fi energy and angsty lyrics, ‘Freaks’ struck a chord with a whole new audience. It became the soundtrack to thousands of TikToks, from emotional confessionals to ironic memes. Even though the band had no say in how people were using the song, it kept gaining momentum. By 2024, ‘Freaks’ had passed 1 billion streams on Spotify, making it their biggest hit by far.
Success Finds Them Again
Surf Curse’s viral success didn’t stop with ‘Freaks.’ In 2024, their 2019 track ‘Disco’ started taking off in a similar way. A dance challenge helped push it up the TikTok Billboard Top 50, and it even made its way onto the Hot 100 chart.
While ‘Disco’ is now their second most-streamed song, with over 300 million plays, nothing else in their catalog comes close. Their third most popular track has around 37 million streams—a massive drop compared to ‘Freaks’ and ‘Disco.’
Thanks to ‘Freaks,’ Surf Curse was able to move forward despite the challenges of the pandemic. They expanded their lineup, dropped a new album, ‘Magic Hour,’ in 2022, played Coachella, and went on a successful tour.
