2017 has been a pretty wild year for music, with countless bands releasing amazing songs and albums almost every day. Some of these were the big names whose incredible new releases we’d expected based on their track records, but there was also an influx of new acts stepping up to the plate and making amazing music right from the start.
From emerging local favourites, to new international names, these are 10 of the acts who have lodged themselves firmly in our playlists throughout 2017.
Jordie Ireland
Jordie Ireland is a 20-year-old Sydney producer who has decided that 2017 was going to be the year everything changed. With a penchant for crafting electronic tracks that feature some killer earworm toplines, he signed to Universal and knocked it out of the park with his debut single ‘Take Cover’.
With a stunning clip attached, the track has racked up almost half a million plays plays on Spotify and nabbed plenty of radio play – not a bad effort at all for a debut. This one could easily be one of the jams of summer, and we won’t be surprised if he’s all over festival stages in a year’s time.
Baker Boy
Baker Boy is the chosen name of Danzel Baker, a 20-year-old rapper from the Milingimbi community in north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. What makes Baker Boy so special is his desire to be the first to rap in the Yolngu Matha language. Socially conscious, and seriously talented, Baker Boy has spent the last few months riding a wave of success that has come from some of his amazing tracks, including ‘Cloud 9’, which has seen some huge success on triple j.
Samsaruh
Samsaruh is the name of a young Melbourne muso who has decided that 2017 is the year that everyone knows her name. After working with a number of musicians, including the eclectic Just A Gent, Samsaruh has released some killer tracks, including ‘Golden To Thrive’. She’s spent most of the year as one of the most popular unsigned acts on triple j, so you can be certain that you’re going to hear plenty more of this awesome music in no time.
Winston Surfshirt
About a year ago, almost no one had even heard of this Sydney collective. However, their slick production and smooth sounds made them instant favourites of almost everyone, as within months, they’d managed to support Midnight Oil and release a debut record that is well on the way to being considered a modern classic. Impressive.
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BROCKHAMPTON
Despite the fact they formed in 2015, BROCKHAMPTON became one of the most defining acts of 2017 thanks to their prolific output this year, seeing them release their first two records, with a third coming next week. The immense hip-hop collective, despite selling countless albums and downloads, don’t seem to plan to hang around for much longer though, having recently said that their next album is set to be their final one.
Hatchie
Queensland’s Hatchie has only been on the scene for a little while, but in that time, her unique shoegaze style of playing has made countless fall in love with what she does. Following on from supporting some stellar Aussie acts, including The Creases, Hatchie is well on her way to producing some of the best tracks you’ll hear for some time. Keep an eye on this one, she’s gonna be huge!
Starcrawler
Starcrawler are one of those bands who when you first discover them, you want to listen to everything that they’ve ever done so that you can immerse yourself in the wonder of their back catalogue. The only issue with a band like this is that their current banger, ‘I Love LA’ is one of the only songs they have available, meaning that a mixture of pure joy and anticipation leads to you naming Starcrawler as one of the bands to watch for 2018 as you slowly count down the days until their debut record drops.
Stella Donnelly
No list of the best new acts of the year would be complete without Stella. While she’d been rocking Perth for a while with bands like Boat Show, her real emergence came with the release of her debut LP Thrush Metal, which knocked everyone’s socks off.
Her performances at BIGSOUND bumped her even higher in everyone’s estimations, winning her the inaugural $25,000 Levi’s Music Prize, and setting her on the path to take out the triple j Unearthed Artist of the Year at the 2017 J Awards, beating out fierce competition like Ruby Fields, Alex The Astronaut, Confidence Man and the aforementioned Baker Boy. Not a bad year at all
St. Ives
St. Ives has hardly been around for a few months, but in that time the duo made up of Perth’s Anna O’Neil (better known as Anna O) and Melbourne producer Arik Blum has managed to craft some gorgeous downtempo goodness that is undoubtedly set to become a favourite for many fans of the genre. Coming together over a mutual love of trip-hop sounds of the mid-’90s, St. Ives are giving a nostalgic edge to these jams that we’re absolutely loving.
Georgia June
Georgia June is a Sydney-based quintet who have a tendency to drop some catchy jams that will make you fall in love with their unique sound. Having released only a couple of songs, the band are well on their way to making it big. Led by frontwoman and accomplished songwriter Georgia June, the group are definitely set to be one of the biggest things to come out of Sydney in some time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcwlD2eZLfA
