IDOLTHREAT Australian Top 20 of 2017
Australian music continues to be incredible, just FYI
Each year for the past five years, I’ve come up with two Top 20 lists: one for Australian music, and one for songs from outside Australia. In the past, they’ve been given the very punny title of “Top Twen-Ti” (because I’m Ti! Geddit? Geddit?), but as of this year, it’s now going to be part of idolthreat.
You can read the idolthreat International Top 20 of 2017 here.
We’re also here at an unusual time for Australian music. Australian music is getting better and better, and more and more phenomenal acts are being discovered, but few are getting recognition on commercial radio, or, as a consequence, on the charts. This week, AirCheck released their 100 most-played songs on Australian radio, and the most played Australian song is at #10 if New Zealand’s Lorde counts as Australian, and then Jessica Mauboy at #25. Of the Australian artists in the Top 100 most-played songs on Australian radio — Sia, Morgan Evans, Peking Duk, Vance Joy, Amy Shark, Dean Lewis, PNAU, Starley, and Jessica Mauboy — only Peking Duk and Amy Shark are in this Top 20.
Meanwhile, before we start:
BRIGHT DAWN • Kuren and Illy (pictured)
FRIENDS DON’T MAKE OUT • MUKI
DON’T COME EASY • Isaiah
YOU CAN CRY TOMORROW • Betty Who
ME • LDRU and BOI
TWO HEARTS • Phebe Starr
FAKE MAGIC • Peking Duk and AlunaGeorge
KEEP ME CRAZY • Sheppard
COMING HOME • Sheppard
EDGE OF THE NIGHT • Sheppard
BABY SPIDERS • Allday and Mallrat
COME DOWN • Elk Road
BACK IN THE ROOM • KLP
CHANGES • KLP
NUMB • Hayden James and GRAACE
MOVE YOUR BODY • Sia
MY KINGDOM (WILLIAM BLACK REMIX) • Evangeline
GO BANG • PNAU
CHAMELEON • PNAU
ANCHOR • Baytek and Cyrus
DOIN’ WHAT YOU WANT • Asta
IN MOTION • Allday and Japanese Wallpaper
THERE FOR YOU • Martin Garrix and Troye Sivan
You can hear all of these songs and more in our Best of 2017 playlist on Spotify.
Okay, let’s get to the Top 20:
NOT WORTH HIDING • Alex the Astronaut
In a year where LGBTI+ people had their rights argued about as entertainment for months at a time, Alex the Astronaut’s simple, guitar-led song about coming to terms with her sexuality as a kid and learning to be yourself became such an important message for a lot of Australia’s young LGBTI+ community. Alex, this song is gorgeous. Thank you.
BODIES • Wafia
There’s nothing I can say about this song that Wafia doesn’t say better in this interview, so all I’ll say is thank you, Wafia, for being so brave as to put this out there.
PRIVATE • Vera Blue
“What’s wrong in reality feels so right in my fantasy / I just wanna make you feel good” is the most unexpectedly sexy lyric of the year.
MY ISLAND HOME • Jimblah
Jimblah’s new re-interpretation of My Island Home is so special. The bird sounds throughout it set it apart from everything else in music at the moment, and it’s got some of the glossiest, cleanest production out. I keep coming back to this song and finding new things I like. Quality.
MELT • KLP
With each release, KLP is getting better and better, and sounding more comfy and at-home. From Back In The Room late last year getting an official single release in January, to Changes in June, and then Melt in September.
Melt is ready-made for festivals. The second that chorus hits, you need to move to it.
WATCH ME READ YOU • Odette
What a discovery. What artistry. Odette is from Sydney and her debut single is breathtaking. Watch Me Read You pulls you in with entire verses of spoken word, then throws Odette’s incredible vocal in there all of a sudden — it’s utterly captivating.
MERRYGO • Tigerilla and Dominique Young Unique
I went to a party earlier this year which we’d all created a collaborative playlist on Spotify for, and I put this song in the playlist, because it was a party, it needed it. Anyway I rocked up and the speakers were so loud the walls were shaking and I could hear this song playing from when I was walking down the driveway and IT WAS PERFECT.
BETTER • Mallrat
Impossibly delicate and beautiful. The way this builds from such a gentle intro to a glorious, rousing chorus while still feeling warm and intimate is so special. Listening to this feels like you’re inside a movie, experiencing every word personally. Everything about this song is beautiful.
BLOOD BROTHERS • Amy Shark
When you hear the name Amy Shark, you’ll probably instantly think of Adore or Weekends. But elsewhere on her Night Thinker EP, you’ll find Blood Brothers, a criminally underrated song which really should have been released as her third single. Sounding like no other Amy Shark song, it shows that she’s more than the dark, brooding tunes you’ve heard.
TAKE ME • Donatachi and Kady Rain
It’s now summer, which truly is the natural habitat of this song. Bright, sparkly electronic pop perfection.
LET YOU DOWN • Peking Duk and Icona Pop
Whoever got Peking Duk and Icona Pop together deserves a raise.
MENDED • Vera Blue
Another gorgeous song from Vera’s debut album Perennial. It’s hypnotic and beautiful and stunning. Vera’s voice is absolutely pristine and honest and perfect on Mended. There’s only so many times I can say that you need to hear her album Perennial, but here it is again: you owe it to yourself to listen to Vera Blue’s album Perennial.
TOUGH LOVE • CXLOE
The problem is, CXLOE’s set the bar so high with her debut single, that… how do you follow this up? CXLOE oozes confidence on Tough Love; “I could make this so fucking impossible for you right now” might be one of the most attention-grabbing lyrics of the year. This is FIRE.
BETTER SIT DOWN BOY • Confidence Man
Confidence Man are what I imagine The Ting Tings would sound like if they still existed. Better Sit Down Boy is so infectious, and sassy, and just fun! And I happen to love the choreographed dance moves from their live shows. How many acts are having this much fun with what they do?
BLINDFOLDED • Nicole Millar
How was this not a radio smash? Nicole Millar should be one of the biggest names in Australian pop music. Blindfolded is a massive pop anthem; it’s hooky as hell, with a huge chorus. This was criminally underrated.
DON’T TELL ME • Ruel
Ruel is going to be the future. This kid was 14 when he recorded this. His voice is already jaw-dropping. I think I listened to this about thirty times in a row on its release? Ruel has a voice beyond his years, and the fact that we get to look forward to an entire career of his is really bloody reassuring.
REGULAR TOUCH • Vera Blue
We need more songs about learning to love yourself and not rely on anybody else, and just be comfortable in your own skin. Vera’s crushed this. Why haven’t you listened to her album Perennial yet? Look, here it is on Spotify, and here it is on Apple Music.
SASSAPARILLA • Muki
Any song that sounds like it’s from 2054 is absolutely fine by me. Sassaparilla is batshit (in the best of ways) right from the get-go: it sounds like actual processed sugar in liquid form.
If this is a bit too much for you, Muki followed it up with Friends Don’t Make Out, which is also great, and is even easier to digest than some Sassaparilla.
LIFE GOES ON • E^ST
I’m still affected by this song. It’s ostensibly about longing for someone from an ended relationship, but it could easily apply to anyone you’ve lost. It’s uplifting and bold and heartbreaking and bittersweet and euphoric and perfect.
Momentary. Temporary. Transient. Impermanent. Fugitive. Short-lived.
FOOL’S GOLD • Jack River
“You don’t like rollercoasters / How could you ever love a girl like me?”
Fool’s Gold is the definition of a grower. At first, it’s just great. But as it sits with you, you need to hear it again, and I swear each time I hear this song I hear some new detail and fall in love all over again.
She has an album due next year, and if Fool’s Gold is any indication, she might just be one of the proper breakout stars of 2018.
SOME KINDA WONDERFUL • Betty Who
Late 2016, Betty Who’s cover of I Love You Always Forever took over every pop radio station in Australia. It even ended up in a Hit Network ad. Everyone knew this song, and it was the perfect way to build momentum into her new album, The Valley. Human Touch was a great hype track, and then in February, a month out from the album release, she released Some Kinda Wonderful, the perfect single to showcase the album.
And then people… ignored it?
It should have been the biggest Australian single of the year. Every part of the song is a hook. It’s a masterclass in pop writing. It’s ten pounds of fun in a five pound bag. And it’s just the tip of the iceberg; there are maybe four or five songs on The Valley that could be potential singles, including the excellent Mama Say.
Some Kinda Wonderful is a deserving #1. Get around it.
You can hear all these songs in our Best of 2017 playlist on Spotify, and keep up with the best in new music with the idolthreat playlist on Spotify.
Read the IDOLTHREAT International Top 20 Songs of 2017 here.
