Photo by Luis Quintero
As a kid growing up in Australia, my parents made an effort to veer my listening habits away from exclusively American artists, mainly out of fear that I’d develop a weird accent, but also because the music coming out of Australia is really cool and special, even though much of it doesn’t quite reach levels of superstardom.
Now in my later adolescence, I have a real love for Aussie music, not just because it reflects on experiences exclusive to living and growing up here, but because our artists are often underdogs in a big, scary, often LA- focussed industry.
Within the country, however, the Australian youth music scene is largely dictated by government-funded radio station Triple J, which each year releases its Hottest 100 tracks of the year, voted on by the public. This serves as a good-enough barometer of what people are loving and listening to. Unsurprisingly, there has been a notable lack of representation of women and queer artists in the top tracks, with only one female artist (and not even an Aussie one at that) being given the top spot in over 20 years.
Check out our collection of Aussie women artists at the top of their game. Get them on your playlists and say you knew them before your mates!
If you like: Faye Webster, Lucy Dacus, Maggie Rogers, indie folk/pop, themes of womanhood, relationships and sometimes just being sad.
Key tracks: “Body,” “CRY” and “Pressure to Party.”
Born in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales), having studied in Sydney and now living in Melbourne, Julia Jacklin is one of Australia’s best contemporary singer-songwriters. Jacklin’s work has been very well received by mainstream critics (The New York Times, NME). She’s been on the touring circuit overseas since 2016, off the back of her debut album, “Don’t Let the Kids Win,” taking on major festivals both internationally and in Australia.
Her second album, “Crushing,” is an intimate masterpiece. Track one, “Body,” opens with the image of an entitled boyfriend smoking on a flight, instigating a breakup and subsequent reflections for Jacklin: “I’m not a good woman when you’re around,” “I guess it’s just my life / It’s just my body.” The album delicately offers a rumination on contemporary relationships through the cover of a breakup recovery story. In 2020, from the depths of the country’s first COVID-19 wave, a time marked by state border shutdowns and isolation, Jacklin released a 7” single — “to Perth, before the border closes.” The two tracks encapsulate the distress and depression of those first uncertain months: the image of going on a walk just to fully feel sadness away from the people you live with and of everything changing.
(And a treat for the Lana Del Rey fans: Watch Lana join Julia Jacklin perform “Don’t Know How to Keep Loving You.”)
If you like: AC/DC, Hole, ’70s hard rock, riot grrrl and women-led rock/punk
Key tracks: “Gacked on Anger,” “Security” and “Capital.”
I have to say, I’m super dubious about how this band will translate to an international audience because of their roots in Aussie pub rock, emphasis on Aussie social issues and propensity for Australian vernacular. But, they are just so cool — you should give them a go. Amyl and the Sniffers (a reference to amyl nitrate, also known as poppers or just as amyl in Australia) is a pub rock/punk band headed by singer Amy Taylor. Originating from Melbourne and burning with energy, their self-titled album was deemed Best Rock Album at the 2019 ARIA Awards (Australia’s most significant domestic music awards night), and they’ve been unstoppable ever since. Amyl and the Sniffers, while often compared to popular 1970’s rock groups, avoid a bare repeat of old tropes and make Aussie hard rock cool again for the new generation. For women and marginalized people who have been traditionally excluded from this space at its most exclusive levels, Amyl and the Sniffers makes room for them in 2021 in a way reminiscent of the ’90’s riot grrrl era.
Their 2021 album, “Comfort to Me,” immediately drops listeners in the middle of a palpably, pissed-off mosh. The second track calls the “Freaks to the Front”, and later in “Security,” the band are just begging to be let in the pub, swearing they’re “not that drunk.” Track eight, “Capital,” is also a highlight. The song is a targeted attack on the Australian government, and the seeming meaninglessness of our current capitalist condition: “It’s just for capital / Am I an animal?” It references the disproportionate incarceration rates of First Nations people, the campaign to change our flag from its colonial connotations and destruction of the farmland at the mercy of rabid bushfires.
It’s honest, hungry, yearning and mad. It’s made to be experienced live, and they will be touring the U.S. and much of Europe starting in April next year, so take the chance if you can!
If you like: alternative hip-hop with an emphasis on fun, Rico Nasty, Doja Cat, Charli XCX
Key tracks: “Shook,” “Kim” and “Cashmere.”
Singer-rapper Tkay Maidza is one of Australia’s biggest and best. Drawing on a myriad of pop, hip-hop and EDM influences, and twisting them each into the alternative, Tkay has been making waves internationally and in Australia for at least the past five years.
Maidza was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and moved to Australia with her parents at age five. She studied architecture at university before solidifying herself as a full-time musician. She’s been playing major Australian festivals since 2014, making her way up to larger and larger stages, and opened for Charli XCX on her Australian tour.
Her “Last Year Was Weird” EP trilogy, (vol 1., vol 2., vol 3.) spanning 2018-2021, takes the place of a sophomore album in a way that reflects increasing confidence with each release. The trilogy features collaborations with big international stars such as Duckwrth, Yung Baby Tate and JPEGMAFIA. “Last Year Was Weird (Vol. 3)” is Maidza at her best yet: lead single “Kim” is fun and witty, referencing three levels of pop culture Kims and bragging about holding their power.
Keep her on your radar in the new year. She’s just wrapped up supporting TikTok pop weirdo Ashnikko on her U.S./U.K. tour and has flagged a full second album on the way.
Other artists:
Key tracks: “Better in Blak,” “Homecoming Queen.”
Thelma Plum made history in the 2019 Triple J Hottest 100 as the highest ranking Indigenous Australian artist ever, breaking into the top 10 at number nine. Her music is beautiful, empowering, careful and clever.
Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers
Key tracks: “AHHHH!” “See You In A Bit (I Still Care)”
A rock group born out of the nation’s capital, Teen Jesus have managed to whip up a frenzy of reincarnated riot-grrrl energy and a fair enough following, all prior to the release of their first album.
Key tracks: “Pasta,” “Tea, Milk and Honey.”
If you’re looking for darker, emotional indie, look no further than Angie McMahon. Her debut album, “Salt” (2019), emits the lyrical precision and tone of Julien Baker, and we should be listening closely for what’s to come.
Key tracks: “Strangers.”
Tia Gostelow is an Indigenous Australian artist and singer-songwriter who has been actively releasing original indie pop tracks since 2016.
Check out our playlist for all the key tracks and other honorable mentions: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/44sqUzMJSfEILaBHWJx8BG?si=57b804d844684116