A list of my favorite Australian musicians that should be added to your playlists.
A great part of traveling is discovering new music. Discovering these new types of music can sometimes take a little extra work since many countries listen to the same hit songs we hear at home. By using local radio websites and through word of mouth, I have been lucky enough to discover some top artists that I had never heard of before coming to Australia. The following is a list of my favorite Australian musicians that should be added to your iTunes and Spotify playlists. I have also included links to their videos and songs so you can easily give them a listen.
1. Courtney Barnett
I had heard some hype about this Melbourne based singer-songwriter, before coming to Australia and was not disappointed once I arrived and started hearing her music. She has become one of my favorite artists. She’s been making appearances across the United States at some of the country’s biggest festivals, recently appeared on Jimmy Fallon, and this October has 4 sold out nights in a row in Melbourne (one of which I will be attending).
2. Lunatics on Pogosticks
This ferociously guitar driven, lo-fi pop punk is perfect for melting faces and starting mosh pits. I can almost guarantee you will be humming their single “Less Than Sober” after your first listen.
3. Seth Sentry
He raps about relationships and bacon. Enough said.
4. The Furrs
This band has been growing steadily throughout 2014. I am a sucker for a quality female singer in a rock band, which they definitely have.
5. I Know Leopard
A 1970s inspired indie rock group that write the kind of catchy dream poppy love songs that make you want to get in your car and drive along the ocean until the sun sets.
6. The Harry Heart Chrysalis
21-year-old musician/producer Harry Heart’s solo project that he describes as “a flamboyant way to describe myself coming out of my shell as a teen.” His songs are catchy and his lyrics possess a lot of substance, making him a very sophisticated indie-pop act.
7. Allday
Allday fits in perfectly with American “frat rap” artists such as Aer, Hoodie Allen, and Sam Adams and he is definitely gaining rapid popularity in Australia. The main difference separating him from the other acts is his Australian accent, which undoubtedly makes him sound cooler.
8. Cloud Control
This is a band that has been around for longer than the aforementioned acts (forming in 2007), but they released their second album a year ago and have recently been touring the world in support of it. They have a unique sound separating them from the typical indie-rock outfit. This acoustic version of their song ‘Gold Canary’ got me hooked:
9. Salvadarlings
Their debut album came out May 2014 and their dreamy pop-rock sound combined with their female vocals creates a very similar vibe to bands such as Tennis and Cults.
10. Japanese Wallpaper
An Australian teenager making ambient sounds the likes of Boards of Canada, Jamie XX, and Lotus. I highly recommend the song “Waves”
11. Halcyon Drive
A two-piece band that relies heavily on loops to create their self described “catchy as balls” pop hooks. With only two singles released they don’t have a very extensive catalogue, but what they lack in depth they make up for in quality.
12. Pepa Knight
An almost tropical, world-music sound driven by some hypnotic drums creates almost perfect indie rock. You may recognize their song “Rahh!”, which received great press from various sources around the world.
13. Babaganouj
A Brisbane indie rock band that got me hooked immediately with their song Bluff, which reminds me of female surfer rock powerhouse Best Coast. Here is a link to their Bandcamp where their album is available for $1 –
I’m sure that we will be hearing some of these acts around the world within the next few years. So listen to them now, share them with your friends, and act really cool when it turns out you were ahead of the curve.
