Hey, hey: Archie's gone gold.
The breakout single from Canadian indie band Alvvays' first record, "Archie, Marry Me," has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. That means it's moved 500,000 digital units, either in downloads or on-demand streaming, becoming the band's first single to do so — ten years after its release.
With its breezily anthemic chorus and its perfect encapsulation of young longing, "Archie, Marry Me" helped launch Alvvays onto the international stage in 2014. The group's dreamy debut album was jam-packed with hooks, and "Archie" immediately caught on, a half-ironic ode to marriage embraced by ambivalent millennials everywhere.
The band went on to release two more acclaimed records, earn a pair of Junos and a Grammy nomination, and play festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury, becoming one of the few Canadian indie bands of the last decade to see sustained popularity on the international stage.
They marked the tenth anniversary of their self-titled debut earlier this year with a special vinyl-only reissue. The RIAA certification gives them more reason to celebrate, with label Polyvinyl sharing the achievement on Threads. Technically, a tenth wedding anniversary is celebrated with tin, not gold, but Archie never seemed like the traditional type to begin with.
Alvvays isn't the only Canadian artist to hit a major certification milestone this year. PartyNextDoor was named the top artist-songwriter for Q2 of 2024 by the National Music Publishers Association, thanks to his 16 RIAA certifications between April and June, including diamond certification for the Party-written Rihanna hit "Work."
