The 40 Best Australian Songs of 2019

With the Hottest 100 voting closing today, we thought we’d take our annual look back on the best songs of 2019. And should you still have to vote, we wanted to give you some ideas on some great local music to consider including in your top ten. We’ve put the 40 songs together in a playlist on Spotify, in no particular order.

The cover artist of this playlist, Sampa The Great kicks it off with her remarkable track “Final Form”, from which we run through an eclectic mix of tracks from all over the country – from massive artists like Ruel, fan favourites Cub Sport through to exciting up-and-comers like San Mei – closing things out with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds‘ “Waiting For You”. Thelma Plum is the only artist to appear twice on the list – with her debut LP’s title track “Better in Blak” making an appearance, alongside “Love and War”, which was her collaboration with Dave Le’aupepe from Gang of Youths.

Listen to the playlist here:

The full list of songs on this playlist are:
Sampa The Great – Final Form
Cub Sport – Party Pill
WAAX – FU
Holy Holy – Maybe You Know
Thelma Plum – Better in Blak
Carla Geneve – 2001
Angie McMahon – Pasta
Julia Jacklin – Body
Tones and I – Dance Monkey
TOWNS – Safe To Say
Winston Surfshirt – Smile
Ruel – Face to Face
Jeremy Neale – Everything I Do Is Replaced by Two
Riley Pearce – Windmill
Mansionair – Alibi
Coda Conduct – Lying to Myself
Jack Gray – Fools
Baker Boy – Cool As Hell
Lime Cordiale – Innapropriate Behaviour
Jaguar Jonze – Kill Me With Your Love
Genesis Owusu – Good Times
The Teskey Brothers – Man of the Universe
Middle Kids – Beliefs and Prayers
Winterbourne – Revolutionary, Man
Asha Jefferies – Bad Kisser
Hayden James – Favours
The Jungle Giants – Heavy Hearted
Nelipot – Garden Hose Rainbows
San Mei – Something Good
Camp 8 – Everything
Polish Club – Breakapart
Kaiit – Miss Shiney
Mallrat – Charlie
Kita Alexander – Between You & I
Press Club – Chosen Ones
Stevie Jean & Tasman Keith – Prey
Ngaiire – Shiver
Stella Donnelly – Mosquito
Thelma Plum & David Le’aupepe – Love and War
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Waiting For You

Contributors to this playlist were Larry Heath, Genevieve Morris, Dylan Marshall, Ruby Robinson, John Goodridge, Lyn Harder, Simon Clark, Katelyn Rew, Bruce Baker and Tait McGregor.