Why Are Teens Suddenly Obsessed With Russian New Wave Music?

Flick through the For Your Page on TikTok for even a few minutes, and you’ll encounter the most eclectic and diverse collection of songs imaginable.

You’ll hear Jack Stauber’s ‘Buttercup’, a tiny indie ballad released back in 2017, brushing up against Beyoncé and Doja Cat; the janky music of KK Slider fading into covers of the Wii menu music. Every base is covered, albeit in the most lopsided possible way.

But these days, with increasing frequency, you’ll hear a new trend — Russian and Eastern European New Wave and rap. Over the last few months, thick and smokey synth-ballads have become the new norm, soundtracking everything from videos of packed nightclubs to complex dance routines.

And yet the question remains: why?

The Rise Of Russian And Eastern European Songs on TikTok

It’s even harder to trace back trends on TikTok than it is on other sites like Twitter or YouTube. TikTok’s timeline is a sentence written in sand while the tide is washing in, with videos exploding in popularity and then disappearing without even being eulogised.

But the trend of Eastern European and Russian New Wave songs is a little more traceable than most. See, for at least a couple of years, the song ‘Kletka’ by Belarusian rock band Molchat Doma has been growing in popularity. Driven by alt-rock obssessed groups like Patrician Music Chartposting on Facebook and mu/ on Reddit, the song has developed an international profile.

And for good reason. It’s good as hell, a springy work of considerable genius, with a chorus that settles in your head for weeks at a time.

It was only a matter of time before Molchat Doma were going to make it to the world of memes, and TikTok memes in particular.

And so, days into 2020, teens began using the band’s music to soundtrack everything from their thriftshop finds to make-up tutorials.

From that humble starting point, users began soundtracking their videos with all sorts of Eastern European bangers, with jokes about “Russian nightclubs” becoming commonplace overnight.

It’s not hard to see why. The music is catchy, fun and compact, which is exactly what songs have to be in order to make an impression on TikTok.

But more than that, it’s also meaningfully unusual and distinct. Most of these songs have had literally no commercial impact in the States or in Australia. So when users come across the song, it has the benefit of the shock of the new on its side as well. And that’s enough to cut through the noise that is TikTok’s normal operation.

What Other Eastern European Songs Should I Listen To?

Of course, if your interest has been piqued by the songs that you’ve discovered on TikTok, you’ll invariably be after some more.

The next place to go after Molchat Doma is probably Davay, another Russian act with another viral hit. Their song ‘Tri Poloski’ has been a massive meme for some time, renowned for its amusing and sly music video.

Then there’s Motoroma, with their beloved hit ‘Heavy Wave’. A contemporary act that make music that deliberately refers to the New Wave of the ’80s and ’90s, the band have a sense of fun and imagination rare in the scene.

Want something a little older? Then you’ll be after Раньше в твоих глазах with his hit song ‘Кино’. A massive act in his home country, the musician has a gravelly voice and an excellent handle on catchy melodies.

And hey, if that’s only sated your appetite, then there’s a whole list of Russian New Wave hits for you to discover on Rate Your Music.

---

Joseph Earp is a staff writer at Junkee. He Tweets @Joseph_O_Earp.