Recordings by Amyl and the Sniffers, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Hiatus Kaiyote will contest the 20th annual Australian Music Prize, presented for the album of the year.
Amyl’s Cartoon Darkness is nominated alongside Cave’s Wild God, Hiatus Kaiyote’s Love Heart Cheat Code plus LPs by Audrey Powne (From The Fire), Dobby (Warrangu; River Story), Grace Cummings (Ramona), Kankawa Nagarra (Wirlmarni), Rowena Wise (Senseless Acts Of Beauty) and Cave’s longtime collaborators The Dirty Three (Love Changes Everything).
“We are grateful to be shortlisted for this prize,” comments Amyl’s guitarist Declan Mehrtens. “Australian music is dear to our hearts, and we are incredibly proud to be able to create and perform the music we make.”
Inspired by the U.K.’s Mercury Prize and sponsored by Soundmerch, the AMP aims to rise above genre, popularity and sales to focus entirely on artistic merit.
For the 2024 edition, a music industry panel reviewed over 600 eligible album releases, capturing “a wide range of diverse artists whose unique sounds and perspectives reflect the richness of Australia’s music scene,” reads a statement.
The nine shortlisted Australian albums were released between October 28th, 2023, and October 25nd, 2024.
“On behalf of the AMP, SoundMerch, our industry partners, and the Aussie music industry as a whole, I sincerely thank our judges for their donation of time, expertise – and passion,” comments Scott Murphy, founder and prize director of The Australian Music Prize. “It’s no easy task reviewing over 600 albums and choosing to highlight just nine.”
The winner will be announced December 4th, 2024 at the SoundMerch AMP event to be held at APRA AMCOS offices in Sydney, presented through a partnership with SoundMerch and supported by the Australian Government through Music Australia.
Previous winners include Sampa the Great (twice), the Avalanches, Courtney Barnett, the late Gurrumul, and King Stingray, and the most recent champ, RVG.
The 20th Soundmerch AMP shortlist:
Audrey Powne ‘From The Fire’
Amyl & The Sniffers ‘Cartoon Darkness’
Dobby ‘Warrangu; River Story’
Grace Cummings ‘Ramona’
Hiatus Kaiyote ‘Love Heart Cheat Code’
Kankawa Nagarra ‘Wirlmarni’
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds ‘Wild God’
Rowena Wise ‘Senseless Acts Of Beauty’
The Dirty Three ‘Love Changes Everything’
