Voting for triple j’s Hottest 100 has now closed, meaning it’s now only a matter of days before we as a nation gather together to enjoy the biggest and best tracks from 2019. Each year, the contingent of heavy, and heavy-adjacent artists featured grows stronger and stronger. Hell, before long it will be 100 tracks of pure Australian heavy (hey, we can dream).
2019 saw Australian alternative acts send shockwaves throughout the world in the form of crushing breakdowns, stirring lyrical concepts and stunning production. These shockwaves have resonated back to the homeland, and just in time for the Hottest 100.
Now that voting is out of the way, it’s time to compare notes. We’ve picked 10 tracks that we feel, believe, know with absolute some pretty decent certainty will be featured.
Let’s see how our predictions hold up come January 25th.
The Amity Affliction – ‘All My Friends Are Dead’
The Amity Affliction are nothing if not habitual chart-toppers. Whether it be album charts or singles, you never need to scroll too far to find the latest output from the group. Throughout their career, they’ve been included in more Hottest 100’s than my word count will allow to mention and with ‘All My Friends Are Dead’, the first warning shot fired from their impending record Everyone Loves You…Once You Leave Them, they’re primed to be included yet again.
Amyl & The Sniffers – ‘I’m Not A Loser’
Some may have called Amyl & The Sniffers‘ ARIA win an underdog moment, but anyone who had been paying attention will know it was anything but. Amyl & The Sniffers have an incredibly dedicated and broad following. We know for a fact that those followers buy albums, so it’s safe to bet they vote in the Hottest 100 and, as such, we’ve tagged ‘Got You’ as a highly, highly, highly likely appearance.
Alex Lahey – ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’ Like A Version
Perhaps not technically heavy, Alex Lahey’s cover of ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’ by My Chemical Romance resonated strongly with emos, and former emos, all throughout the world. It earned the nod of approval from MCR frontman Gerard Way himself, which was no surprise given the faithful yet unique spin on the cult classic. Like A Versions do tend to be few and far between in the final Hottest 100 list, but if any are to make the cut this year, it’s going to be this one. For sure.
Bring Me The Horizon – ‘Ludens’
Bring Me The Horizon have multiple opportunities to appear in this year’s Hottest 100, following the huge release of 2019’s Amo. ‘In The Dark’ has a good chance, as does ‘Mother Tongue’, but we’re going to hang our hat on a non-Amo pick. Satellite single, and ode to Death Stranding, we’re pegging ‘Ludens’ to be the one that sees them break into the list. We predict it’ll appear right at the pointy end.
The Chats – ‘Identity Theft’
Very few songs penetrated the zeitgeist this year quite like The Chats and their ditty ‘Identity Theft’. The song has copped a well-deserved flogging on airwaves to the point where many people probably don’t even realise they know the song and all the words. The slack rockers struck the heartstrings of Australia and Australia is no doubt going to return the love by placing them high atop the Hottest 100.
Northlane – ‘Bloodline’
With multiple gems from Alien unearthed throughout 2019, Northlane are playing the numbers game with this year’s Hottest 100. Thanks to the law of probability and their impeccable musicianship, we’re pegging them with an incredibly high chance of featuring in this year’s list. It could be ‘4D’, it could even be their crushing rendition of ‘Get Free’ by The Vines for Like A Version, but given the weight and the significance of ‘Bloodline’, we’re putting our money on this track to appear.
Ocean Grove – ‘Ask For the Anthem’
When faced with challenges that would cause lesser bands to give up, Ocean Grove instead thrived. ‘Ask For the Anthem’ ushered in a new dawn for the band, not to mention a new sound. Fans latched onto the track with a white-knuckled intensity and if the song isn’t included in the Hottest 100, well, then we’re writing a strongly worded, yet respectful, complaint letter.
Polaris – ‘Masochist’
Things are really starting to heat up for Polaris as they move closer to releasing their impending record The Death Of Me. You can trace much of this heat back to the release of ‘Masochist’, the first sample of the band’s new wares. The track is absolutely ferocious and much like the album it will appear on, is sure to be flagged as one of the biggest moments in the endless rise of Australian heavy music. You needn’t dig too deep to find the cut, either, with triple j giving it the regular spins it deserves.
Slowly Slowly – ‘Jellyfish’
Slowly Slowly have had so many big moments this year that it’s tough to pick just one that will be immortalised in the annuls of the Hottest 100 – but ‘Jellyfish’ is a safe bet. That hook is sure to dig deep into even the sternest of listeners on a biological level. It’s inside us all, right now, like an alien baby, just waiting to burst out from our chest on January 25.
Stand Atlantic – ‘Hate Me (Sometimes)’
Stand Atlantic’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric. Fortunately, triple j caught onto them early on in the piece, giving many a Stand Atlantic track a spin. ‘Hate Me (Sometimes)’ is the most current single from the band who seem simply unable to write a bad track. ‘Lavender Bones’ was featured in the Hottest 200, but ‘Hate Me (Sometimes)’ cannot be contained and is therefore sure to breach this year’s 100. You’ll see.
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