TikTok’s Pinegrove Shuffle Trend Is Undeniably Weird

TikTok is its own realm. If – like most of our office – you’re an OK boomer Millennial type, then it’s a foreign realm, a self-contained cosmos of quirks, foibles, and references you simply won’t be able to understand. The past week, though, has unleashed a blast from the past – Pinegrove have become one of the main topics of conversation. 

Before joining us in confusion, here’s some background. Pinegrove are an American indie rock outfit led by Evan Stephens Hall, and their poetic lyrics, heartfelt stance and excellent songwriting won them a dogged, devoted following. But in 2017 the frontman shocked fans, releasing a strange, slightly confused statement on Facebook, explaining that he had been “accused of sexual coercion”.

Pinegrove took a year out, Evans did some work on himself, and the band returned in 2018, with new material and a Pitchfork long read that – truth be told – left many fans even more perplexed. Those familiar with their music were left with a dilemma: read the facts and cut ties, or divorce yourself from the moral setting and continue to enjoy art you enjoy. For many, it was the former. For others, the latter.

As a result, the second chapter of Pinegrove’s career has passed many people by. Once press darlings, they have never been afforded the same levels of lavish praise. Back in April, in fact, the singer confirmed Pinegrove were going on a sort of hiatus, operating “on a more casual basis” following drummer and co-founder Zack Levine’s departure.

All of which makes their current social media fame incredibly, bizarrely unlikely. Yet here we are, filtering through TikTok videos, wondering what on Earth is going on. Kids across the platform are performing a shuffle dance to the band’s 2015 song ‘Need 2’, transforming this one-time niche indie cut into a trending topic.

Mashable have done the leg work, tracing the current boom back to user @GarrettLee39, whose original video – all limbs flailing, scarcely rhythmic but actually hypnotising – is labelled: “pine mutha freaking grove”. Since then, it’s taken off, becoming a global trend as fans mimic the original video, the moves gradually evolving from clip to clip.

It’s evidence of TikTok’s supremely addictive algorithm, and further confirmation of the way 2010’s bedroom pop seems to connect with Gen Z. Earlier this year Clash spoke to Los Campesinos! spin-off Sparky Deathcap about his decade-delayed viral fame, with his song ‘September’ gaining countless million global plays essentially overnight. Emotionally open lo-fi recordings from a decade or so back are like cat-knip to TikTok users.

There’s something overwhelmingly strange about the whole experience, though. A band once effectively cancelled in the post #MeToo environment find viral fame, shorn of the context they operated in. A band who took time-out just a few months back, suddenly becoming more popular than ever. A uniquely Millennial experience recast by Gen Z. 

Pinegrove have moved quickly, re-issuing ‘Need 2’ as an EP alongside TikTok-friendly ‘fast’ and ‘hyperspeed’ versions. Chatting at length to Rolling Stone, Evan Stephens Hall said at one point “the whole thing is strange”. We’ll go one better – it’s weird. Really weird.

@shlomoschmo

The Pinegrove Shuffle

♬ Need 2 – Pinegrove

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