2012 Hit Rock Song, With 4.6 Billion Streams, Is Suddenly Climbing the Charts 14 Years Later
Released in 2012, a breakout single by an indie rock band is making an unexpected comeback years later.
The Neighbourhood, which consists of key members Jesse Rutherford on lead vocals, Zach Abels on lead guitar, Jeremiah Freedman on rhythm guitar, Michael Margott on bass and Brandon Fried on drums, proved that timeless music only gets stronger with time.
One of the band's signature hits was the 2012 track "Sweater Weather."
Written by Rutherford, Abels and Freedman, it was released as part of their debut EP I'm Sorry... and was re-released on their debut studio album, I Love You., in 2013.
At that time, the single reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was only years later that the song gained massive popularity thanks to social media.
"Sweater Weather" has surged back into the spotlight, fueled by viral streaming momentum on TikTok along with a new generation of listeners.
In April, The Neighbourhood's anthem secured its place on Spotify's Billions Club by surpassing 4.5 billion streams on the streaming platform.
To recall, the band first reached the one-billion mark in 2021 and continued its streaming growth, which has accelerated over the years.
Now, another feat for the five-member group was joining an elite ranking released by Spotify.
In celebration of the platform's 20th anniversary this year, Spotify released a rundown of the most-streamed artists, albums, songs, podcasts and audiobooks of all time.
The Neighbourhood ranked third among the most-streamed songs on the platform, cementing their legacy in music more than a decade after the song's release.
Meanwhile, "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran came in second with "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd taking the top spot.
However, before the song became a cultural phenomenon, Rutherford revealed the unexpected yet interesting inspiration behind "Sweater Weather."
The vocalist shared that the track was born after the band got into a massive disagreement while driving home from the studio.
Little did they know that the tense moment would ultimately help shape one of their biggest hits.
"When we went to the studio to actually record it, it was actually a giant argument we had because I had changed the first verse to what you hear now," he told And The Writer Is... adding that Rutherford said that his bandmates might be suffering from what he called "demoitis" or the moment when musicians, producers and even listeners become so emotionally attached to an initial, raw demo version of a song and struggle to appreciate the final outcome.
The frontman wanted to keep it "less rappy" to lean into an indie rock sound.
Related: ‘80s Rock Icon's Song Hits 1 Billion Streams After 50 Years
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 1:01 PM.