There’s no arguing with triple j’s uncanny ability to spot talent. In past years Next Crop handpicked Boy & Bear, Washington, Wolfmother, The Temper Trap, British India, Little Red and Angus & Julia Stone as ones to watch – artists who now enjoy huge creative and commercial success.
Just last year’s Next Crop included artists the calibre of Kimbra, Papa vs Pretty, The Jezabels, Stonefield and Ball Park Music – all of who found great success in 2011.
Now triple j have announced this year’s Next Crop – 20 Aussie acts to watch in 2012.
With more Australian music being made than ever before, choosing the acts that make up this year’s Next Crop was harder than ever. After months of listening judges compiled a list containing some familiar faces who have dominated the Australian music landscape in 2011, alongside brand new artists set to make waves in 2012.
triple j Next Crop 2011 – with triple j commentary
YesYou: This enigmatic duo from Brisbane began working on YesYou in 2010 and all we have at the moment is ‘Half Of It’, but what a song to introduce yourselves with! The duo has been busy most of the year writing more material and forming a band to take the to the stage, with their live debut planned in December. With shows supporting Neon Indian and a debut release to come, 2012 is set to be the year YesYou explodes onto the Australian music scene.
Elizabeth Rose: At only 21, this diminutive Sydneysider is turning heads with her gorgeous, dreamy electropop tunes. Even though she’s only released a handful of bedroom recordings, she’s already graced the stages of Parklife and Harvest, sung for Dr Don Don and remixed songs for Flight Facilities and Jinja Safari. 2012 is already shaping up to be a massive year for Elizabeth Rose. As well as working alongside Sinden in the studio, she’s been self-producing her debut EP which will see the light of day next year.
Husky: At the end of 2010 indie folk quartet Husky set to work recording their debut album in a recording studio built in a bungalow in front-man Husky Gawenda’s backyard. The first we heard from those sessions was the lush, melancholic single ‘History’s Door’. It was an immediate hit and was soon followed by the equally stunning ‘Dark Sea’. The album Forever So was delivered in October, a collection of finely crafted songs that won over hearts and ears across Australia. Husky has spent 2011 sharing stages with the likes of Gotye, Noah & The Whale and Kimbra and in 2012 they’ll tour the country with the Laneway Festival.
Strange Talk: Strange Talk formed in February 2010 and didn’t take long to prove their indie dance credentials with the killer single ‘Climbing Walls’ surfacing just a few weeks later. Their debut self-titled EP released in April this year also featured the infectious ‘Eskimo Boy’ and caught the attention of Art vs. Science, who invited Strange Talk to support them on their mid-year national tour. The band have just released the synth-pop single ‘Sexual Lifestyle’, destined to be one of the dance floor anthems of the summer.
Sietta: Combine soul, electronica, dubstep, pop and a bit of hip-hop, and what you get might sound a little like Sietta. This year, working alongside TZU’s Count Bounce, the Darwin duo dropped their debut album The Seventh Passenger through esteemed hip- hop label Elefant Traks. Featuring songs like ‘What Am I Supposed To Do?’ and ‘No Longer Hurt’, the album showcases the huge voice of Caiti Baker as well as the diverse beatmaking skills of James Mangohig. Having already supported the likes of The Herd and Lowrider, as well as playing festivals around the country, Sietta look set to spread their music even further across Australia in 2012.
The Rubens: In February this year, three brothers from a small town called Menangle in NSW got together with a childhood friend and formed The Rubens. They’ve quickly won hearts with their soulful take on Black Keys-inspired blues and rock & roll sounds. We were so enamoured of their tune ‘Lay It Down’ they won the chance to open Homebake in Sydney this year. 2012 will see the band heading to New York to record their debut album with David Kahne, a man who’s produced massive names like The Strokes and Regina Spektor.
Redcoats: Redcoats was conceived in a loungeroom in suburban Melbourne in 2007. The band thrashed its way through pub gigs and line-up changes for a few years, before they decided to ‘get serious’ and become full time musos. At the start of the year they headed in to the studio with legendary Australian producer Lindsay Gravina (The Living End, Magic Dirt) to lay down tracks for their debut EP. One of those tracks was the moody rock dirge ‘Dreamshaker’, proving a big hit with triple j listeners. This year Redcoats were the national support act for legendary grange rockers Stone Temple Pilots and they’ll spend their summer playing a run of regional dates alongside Grinspoon.
Emma Louise: From humble beginnings posting stacks of videos on YouTube, Emma Louise has conquered 2011 with one of the biggest Australian songs of the year, ‘Jungle’. This year she’s also released her debut EP Full Hearts and Empty Rooms, walked away with a swag of Queensland Music Awards, scored a European record deal and toured alongside Boy & Bear. In between her constant bouts of touring, Emma Louise has been working on her second EP with Mark Myers of The Middle East, set for release next year.
Oliver Tank: He’s the man they’re calling Australia’s answer to James Blake. Oliver Tank had the blogosphere in a tailspin earlier this year thanks to his otherworldly tune ‘Last Night I Heard Everything In Slow Motion’. Now he’s followed it up with a debut EP, Dreams, which channels electronic music pioneers like Boards Of Canada, Jon Hopkins and, of course, James Blake. In October Oliver travelled to Iceland to play the Airwaves Festival, sharing a bill with the likes of Bjork, Yoko One and tUnE-yArDs. Expect to see this young electronic whiz playing a lot more shows near you next year.
Bleeding Knees Club: I’m not sure anyone expected that two scrappy punks from the Gold Coast would, by year’s end, be one of Australia’s most talked about bands. Lauded by music press right across the globe, including NME and Rolling Stone, Bleeding Knees Club have swiftly taken the world by storm with their brand of high energy two-minute punk songs. It’s only the beginning for this group who just recorded their debut album in New York with Lightspeed Champion brainchild Dev Hynes. That record will be blowing up stereos everywhere in 2012.
Owl Eyes: We first met Brooke Addamo aka Owl Eyes when she guested on Illy’s ‘It Can Wait’ last year, adding a little sweetness to the rapper’s swagger. She took centre stage a few weeks later with her solo debut ‘1+1’, a piano pop single full of hooks and charm. The song was a collaboration with Jan Skubiszewski (of Jackson Jackson), who also produced Addamo’s follow-up Raiders EP, soaking it with bass and synths. Owl Eyes recently took time out from her busy touring schedule to take on triple j’s Like A Version challenge. Her version of Foster The People’s ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ has been one of the most requested covers of the year.
Snakadaktal: We named Snakadaktal as the best high school band in Australia this year when they won triple j’s Unearthed High competition. They wowed us with the beautifully fragile ‘Chimera’, then left us breathless with the haunting follow up single ‘Air’. Snakadaktal’s debut EP was written and recorded in basements and bedrooms while all 5 band members were also working on their VCE. It’s just been released and will be launched with an East Coast tour through December.
Alpine: Indie art-rockers Alpine have been making waves with their brand of shimmering esoteric pop. Their music is a blend of hypnotic rhythms, sparkling synths and the sweet harmonies of vocalists Louisa James and Phoebe Baker. Their 2010 debut was the impressive Zurich EP, with three of its five songs gaining substantial airplay. The Melbourne-based 6-piece has just released the new single ‘Hands’, the first taste of an anticipated debut album due out next year.
Gold Fields: Gold Fields developed their high energy indie-dance sound in a bedroom in their home town Ballarat, VIC, with early home recordings drawing on the percussion-heavy style of hip hop releases. The band has recently spent some time in LA, recording tracks for their up-coming debut album. It’ll have a more electro feel than the two EPs we’ve heard so far.
Loon Lake: Four-fifths of slacker rock outfit Loon Lake grew up in a little town called Tarrawingee just outside of Wangaratta in regional Victoria. The boys moved to Melbourne to find their fifth member and record their debut EP Not Just Friends with Robin Mai (Nick Cave, John Butler). Stand-outs from the EP include the rollicking garage-rock number ‘In The Summer’, full of fuzzy guitars and catchy choruses, and charmingly anguished ‘Bad To Me’, which has one of the best stadium-rock guitar solos of the year.
Ellesquire: It’s not often you find a self-deprecating MC who teams up with a producer-slash-jazz musician to make his debut album, but Ellesquire isn’t your usual hip-hop dude. He began his career as part of Sydney crew Loose Change before breaking away and releasing his debut solo album, Ready, earlier this year. Turning heads with his tounge-in-cheek tune ‘In The Prowl’, Ellesquire has taken his music on the road, scoring supports for luminaries such as Gift Of Gab, Urthboy, Horrorshow, Ozi Batla and Thundamentals. It’s really just the beginning for a man who’s forging his own path within Australia’s hip-hop scene.
Split Seconds: Split Seconds kicked off 2011 with a string of summer festival shows, then delivered their debut EP in March, a self- titled 6-tracker that featured live favourite ‘Bed Down’. A few months later the band was at the West Australian Music Industry Awards, taking home 5 WAMis including Favourite Newcomer and Most Promising New Act. The Perth based 6-piece has clocked up plenty of frequent flier points this year on national tours with The Panics, Owl Eyes and Jebediah, with latest single ‘All You Gotta Do’ hinting at even more great things to come.
New Navy: This afropop-loving gang of kids caught our attention earlier this year with the instantly catchy ‘Zimbabwe’, showcasing a sound that sits somewhere between Editors and Vampire Weekend. In their short time together the Sydney quartet has played with some of Australia’s finest including Miami Horror, Dappled Cities and Hungry Kids of Hungary, as well as lifting the roof off the Metro Theatre when they played our triple j Unearthed digital radio launch party in their home town. New Navy recently dropped their debut EP Uluwatu, which has spawned another great song in ‘Tapioca’ and one that is set to soundtrack many summer parties.
San Cisco: Freemantle pop kids San Cisco have had a massive year. They’ve recorded and released their debut EP with producer Steven Schram (Little Red, Cat Empire, Little Birdy). They’ve played the Big Day Out, Laneway Festival, BIGSOUND and Groovin’ the Moo. And they’ve scored radio play on triple j and US college stations with the infectiously catchy ‘Golden Revolver’ and ‘Awkward’. Right now San Cisco are celebrating lead singer Jordi finishing high school – and planning how to conquer the world in 2012.
The Medics: The Medics formed in Cairns in 2007 but it really wasn’t until they moved in Brisbane in 2010 when things started to happen for this quartet. Fronted by Jhindu Lawrie, son of Bunna from the legendary Indigenous act Coloured Stone, The Medics have opened Groovin’ The Moo in Townsville courtesy of triple j Unearthed, released two EPs and picked up a Deadly in 2010 for Band Of The Year. After supporting The Grates and playing at Bigsound, Dreaming and Festival Of The Sun this year, The Medics look set to charge into 2012 with the impending release of their debut album.