Do you like big, round numbers? Or just numbers in general? We do, so here goes. Sleep Token’s “The Summoning”, the single that launched the masked band into much of the public eye (despite having existed for years before that breakout moment), has now reached 100 million streams on Spotify.
sleep token announced a UK tour with some of the same arenas BMTH just headlinedโฆ and these shows will sellout instantly.
what the fuck are we even witnessing anymore?? no longer does โmeteoric riseโ even begin to describe their surge in popularity
— soulja blegh (@MarcosSOTS) February 5, 2024
To put that into context, the song was initially released on January 6th, 2023. It’s a song so popular that it outstreams (on Spotify, anyway) their closest most-popular song by a ratio of almost 2:1. But wait, there’s more! The song isn’t a pure pop or R&B songwriting experience. In fact, its balance of aggressive yet melodic (and also the unpredictable) is one of the biggest reasons why it gained traction with a fanbase that was outside of what many would consider their “core fanbase” by that point.
While 100 million streams is a big number for any musician or band to experience, what makes “The Summoning” such an achievement is that it’s 6:35 long – not a song that is, say, half that length. It might even be comparable to a band like Tool, whose four most popular songs on Spotify are just above that 100 million stream mark, and also clock in at a similar length. There’s even more overlap here, as while there’s certainly differences, the band’s fanbases are both what you would likely consider “cultish”. And that’s probably putting it mildly.
It has happened. The Summoning has reached 100,000,000 streams on Spotify. Congratulations to Sleep Token! This is HUGE! https://t.co/iJGlWw04fK pic.twitter.com/FbZpsFiMnP
— Metal Shell (Blue Check) (@metalshellmedia) February 6, 2024
Can we just take a moment to appreciate that Sleep Token are performing at venues the same size as Bring Me The Motherfucking Horizon (18 years strong) this early on in their career?! Hello?!
— ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ ๐ฅ (@ConalAnthony) February 6, 2024
โThe Summoningโ by @Sleep_Token pic.twitter.com/IcQ3rQYeDQ
— Andy Cizek (@andycizek) January 31, 2024
Having much the same effect as “Just Pretend” did for Bad Omens and “Feel Nothing” for The Plot In You, “The Summoning” was the focal point of Sleep Token’s explosion from fairly popular underground curiosity to filling the same kinds of venues as Bring Me The Horizon in the UK. Yeah, that’s pretty wild.
