Song · Alvvays
“In Undertow” by Alvvays
From the album Antisocialites (2017)
“In Undertow” by Alvvays appears on 4 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2017 and 2024. It was first released in 2017 on the album Antisocialites. Its best result is #37 on the WTMD Top 89 Songs of 2017. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #111 indie & aaa song of 2017 and #4,682 indie & aaa song of all time.
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"In Undertow" was Alvvays' opening move on Antisocialites, the Canadian band's second album: the lead single in June 2017 and the first track on the record. Molly Rankin and Alec O'Hanley wrote it, and it plays out a breakup the narrator is still turning over in her head, with Rankin reaching for the sea, waves and currents and the pull of the undertow, to describe the mistakes that got them there.
The melody arrived while Rankin was ambling along a beach picking up sea-worn glass, something she collects by the bottleful at home. For a fan's dream touch, Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub, one of the band's avowed influences, adds backing vocals and extra guitar.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 56 | WERS 88.9 Boston, MA | WERS Top 88 Songs of 2017 | 88 |
| 2017 | 37 | WTMD Baltimore, MD | WTMD Top 89 Songs of 2017 | 89 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 279 | KEXP | KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time | 627 |
| 2024 | 328 | KEXP | The Best Opening Tracks of All Time | 738 |
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