Triple J Unearthed has revealed a list of the most played unsigned artists that have dominated the national youth broadcaster’s website and accompanying digital radio station over the course of 2013.
Last year’s ‘Most Played’ list contained a number of then-emerging acts that have gone on to gain major national and international attention, including the likes of The Preatures, Saskwatch, Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes, and The Trouble With Templeton.
This year’s Top 50 Most Played Artists features a similarly wide variety of recognisable (and not-so-recognisable) names across a variety of styles, including “sweet slackerism, urgent garage punk and more brashly confident rappers than ever,” in Triple J Unearthed’s words, though it is rather light on genres such as punk, rock, and metal.
The majority of the acts featured on the Top 50 hail from Melbourne and Sydney, with 14 acts from each city featured, but topping Triple J Unearthed’s list is Perth indie rockers Rainy Day Women, whose single ‘Friends’ was already named as the station’s third most played track at the year’s half-way mark.
Rainy Day Women are also just one of six acts from the WA capital on the Top 50 list, joined by indie pop acts Braves (at #18) and Sons Of Rico (#25), the cheekily named Simone & Girlfunkle (#29), electronic act Sable and pop rockers Gunns (at #35 and #36 respectively).
Arriving in at #2 on the Top 50 is Sydney electronic act Wave Racer, a favourite of Triple J House Party (joining in for the live tour earlier this year) and also of labelmate Flume, the award-scooping producer namechecking Wave Racer in his personal ‘high rotation’ mixtape and as part of the new wave “Australian Sound”, along with fellow Sydney electronic acts, Cosmo’s Midnight (who appears at #12), Yahtzel (#27) and L D R U (in at #49).
Coming in at #3 is Major Leagues, the highest charting Brisbane band on the list (and one of six along with Vegas Acres, The Kite String Tangle, WolfWolf, Georgia Potter, and The Creases).
The top 10 is rounded out by Melbourne’s Baptism of Uzi (at #4), thanks to the breakout success of their Stray Current EP, rising Aussie hip hop star and Triple J Unearthed Winner REMi (at #5), Adelaide’s raucous punks Bad//Dreems (the second most played act of 2012), Safia – the sole act representing Canberra, Melbourne’s Mining Boom, Sydney hip hop duo Jackie Onassis, and electronic artist Rainbow Chan at #10.
Other familiar names among the Top 50 include Newtown’s Sticky Fingers (who topped the Unearthed ‘top songs’ mid-year list), Melbourne rockers The Delta Riggs, Sydney indie punks Bloods, indie electronic sensation Fractures, rock stalwarts Money For Rope, Triple J Unearthed High winners Lunatics On Pogosticks, singer-songwriter Dustin Tebbutt, and the AMP-nominated Ainslie Wills (whose debut You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine, is proudly named among Tone Deaf’s Top 15 list of the year’s most critically underrated releases).
View the full Top 50 list below, and head to Triple J Unearthed to listen/download tracks from the list.
Triple J Unearthed Top 50 Most Played Artists Of 2013
- Rainy Day Women (Perth, Indie/Pop)
- Wave Racer (Sydney, Electronic)
- Major Leagues (Brisbane, Indie)
- Baptism Of Uzi (Melbourne, Rock)
- REMi (Melbourne, Hip Hop)
- Bad//Dreems (Adelaide, Indie/Rock)
- Safia (Canberra, Electronic)
- Mining Boom (Melbourne, Indie)
- Jackie Onassis (Sydney, Indie)
- Rainbow Chan (Sydney, Electronic/Pop)
- Gang Of Youths (Sydney, Indie)
- Cosmo’s Midnight (Sydney, Elecronic)
- Wintercoats (Melbourne, Pop/Electronic)
- Born Lion (Sydney, Rock/Punk)
- Gooch Palms (Newcastle, Rock/Pop)
- The Delta Riggs (Melbourne, Rock)
- Swimming (Adelaide, Pop/Indie)
- Braves (Perth, Indie/Pop)
- The Ocean Party (Melbourne, Indie/Pop)
- Bus Vipers (Sydney, Indie)
- Hot Spoke (Sydney, Indie/Pop)
- Horror My Friend (Adelaide, Rock/Indie)
- TIE = Deja (Melbourn, Electronic)
23. TIE = Meg Mac (Melbourne, Pop/Indie)
23. TIE = Palms (Sydney, Indie/Rock) - Tkay Maidza (Adelaide, Hip Hop)
- Sons Of Rico (Perth, Indie/Rock)
- Vegas Acres (Brisbane, Hip Hop)
- Yahtzel (South East NSW, Electronic/Indie)
- Bloods (Sydney, Indie/Punk)
- Simone & Girlfunkle (Perth, Indie/Pop)
- Shining Bird (Illawarra NSW, Indie/Pop)
- Sticky Fingers (Sydney, Indie/Pop)
- Tully On Tully (Melbourne, Indie/Pop)
- Ausmuteants (Melbourne, Punk)
- Dustin Tebbutt (New England NSW, Indie)
- Sable (Perth, Electronic)
- Gunns (Perth, Pop/Rock)
- Battleships (Sydney, Indie/Rock)
- Lunatics On Pogosticks (North Coast NSW, Indie/Punk)
- Tales In Space (Sydney, Indie/Electronic)
- The Kite String Tangle (Brisbane, Electronic)
- The Creases (Brisbane, Indie/Rock)
- WolfWolf (Brisbane, Electronic/Dance)
- Paper Arms (Adelaide, Rock/Punk)
- Money For Rope (Melbourne, Rock)
- Fractures (Melbourne, Pop/Electronic)
- Ainslie Wills (Melbourne, Pop/Indie)
- Tigertown (Sydney, Pop/Indie)
- Ali Barter (Melbourne, Pop/Indie)
- L D R U (Sydney, Electronic/Dance)
- Georgia Potter (Brisbane, Pop/Electronic)
