Top 119 Songs of 2019, #119 - 111

TOP 119 SONGS OF 2019

#119. CRUSHED

by CLEWS

And I wanna change

But I don't know how

Sure, ‘Crushed’ was released in mid-November last year. But we had already finalised our list for last year because these end of year lists take a bit of time together and really wear us out. They wear us out so much we don’t post for the other eleven months of the year. That’s our story and we’ll stick to it. In regards to ‘Crushed’, it was a song I had on high rotation coming into 2019 and I’ve come back to it a lot in the months since. The duo, comprised of sisters Lily and Grace Richardson, deliver a howling rock chorus that’s up there with the best of your grunge era faves and leave you wanting more. It’s a breakout track that promises a huge journey ahead for CLEWS. (Matt Bond)

#118. NOW I'M IN IT

by Haim

 


But I've been trying to find my way back

For a minute

From a sisterly duo to a sisterly trio. Ah, those sweet, sweet Haim harmonies... how can we say no to them? We can’t. Why would we want to? We don’t. We’re a long way from the glorious “Days Gone By”, with Haim 3.0 showing they can pull off these lower key tracks with a newfound maturity and depth. I’m thinking bass face Haim sister wouldn’t even be bass facing to a track like ‘Now I’m In It’ is a track that’s sleek, sophisticated but still so effortlessly Haim. (Matt Bond) 

Haim have this thing that they do, and they do it really, really well, don’t they? There’s nothing new about ‘Now I’m It’, but does there need to be? If you have a formula, and it works, stick to it. It’s classic Haim; quick, catchy and contagious and, like everything they do, it’s hard not to like it. (Jo Michelmore)

#117. TOKYO

by Julien Baker

 


Don't wanna stay here

But I'll crash anywhere

‘Tokyo’ has all the hallmarks of a quintessential Julien Baker track. An atmosphere built on a million little heartbreaks that builds to a warm, not quite but almost hopeful finish. The voice of one of her generation’s finest storytellers; raw, vulnerable and unafraid of openly asking herself those tough questions that keep us awake at night. Who hasn’t compared their life situation to the burning wreckage of a plane at least once. You haven’t? Then you haven’t lived. And as we all know, life is for the living. Hopefully ‘Tokyo’ marks the start of a new musical cycle for Julien Baker and we’ll hear so much more from her in 2020. (Matt Bond)

#116. SEVENTEEN

by Sharon Van Etten

 


I see you so uncomfortably alone

I wish I could show you how much you've grown

Speaking of the finest storytellers in music... here’s another banger from Sharon Van Etten. Shazza, Queen of the Feels. Van Eating my feelings over here while I listen to ‘Seventeen’ and think of all the time that’s passed since what we’re supposed to think of as being the good old days when, really, why wouldn’t you want to be where you’re at now? A twentythirtyforty going on sixty year you who’s come a long way, made better fashion choices, learned to not be afraid to say no, learned that you can say yes to the things you like and want and learned that a purple, half mullet is not a good idea ever. Sharon Van Etten is proof that you can just keep on getting better and better and all you need to do is listen to ‘Seventeen’ to see why. (Matt Bond) 

At the start of this year I decided I wanted to see at least one gig a month for the entire year and Sharon Van Etten’s performance early this year was one of my first, and remains one of the best. Not just because of the couple of bottles of wine shared with a friend before the show, but because Sharon oozes a cool that I can only dream about. Likewise, 'Seventeen', one of ten songs from her fifth (!) album, Remind Me Tomorrow, which I lived and breathed for a little while there. Powerful, catchy, dramatic, it is exactly as her performance was, she's a storyteller beyond comparison and her album and her performance are not just highlights of my musical 2019, but my whole year. (Jo Michelmore)

#115. LITTLE BEAST

by Sports Bra

Your voice is always with me

Telling me the awful things that I want to hear

Sports Bra draw you in with a subtle touch as ‘Little Beast’ begins to play. You might find yourself tapping along at the start with a fist pump and nod of the head when during the chorus. By the time the song reaches the mid-point, you’ll more likely be throwing yourself around the room as the track thunders along to a riotous conclusion. It’s the alternative anthem you didn’t know you needed from a band you hadn’t heard of at the start of the year but you’re super grateful you didn’t miss this one from one of your favourite emerging Sydney-based bands. (Matt Bond)

#114. KILLING TIME

by The Kite String Tangle ft. Eliott

Heavy on my shoulder, we get older

I get lighter with you

I’d like to say lots of nice things about the vocals of (featuring) Eliott, but I’m going to save them for later in the countdown when she visits us again. This one, by Kite String Tangle (not G Flip, who also sang a song with a similar name this year and appears later, sorry for all the spoilers) is everything we have come to expect from KST; his brand of music is always so catchy, albeit this time a little darker than normal, Killing Time’s glitchy beats driving Eliott’s sweet vocals against his more subtle voice, which is especially obvious in the acoustic version of said track, along with the gorgeous strings and keys. It’s the type of thing I’ve come to expect from Danny Harley, and I’m never disappointed. (Jo Michelmore)

#113. THE PISS, THE PERFUME

by Hayley Mary

I should be back in the fight where I belong

Not stumbling out my window with your t-shirt on

YES. And FUCK YEAH. And yes fuck yeah (fist pump)! Hayley Mary performs a song that makes me want to go to a pub and get a parmy and skull a beer and throw my fist in the air and be so damn happy to live in a country that produces this kind of rock m8. It’s so Australian, so rock, so pubs and gigs and lights and hot nights and cold (but warm) drinks and stumbling home full of energy and I love it. Nah m8, I fucking love it. This is Australian rock, at it’s best. (Jo Michelmore)

#112. LOST WITHOUT YOU

by Freya Ridings

You said, "I wanna see the world,"

And I said, "Go."

Freya Riding performed one of my favourite lyrics of the entire year about building a large structure “from the rubble of your love” (in a totally different song), but this song appeared in Grey’s Anatomy, which may or may not be one of the reasons it appears in this countdown. I don’t watch it, but Grey’s is responsible for a lotta good songs, that can’t be denied. ‘Lost Without You’ is complete  heartbreak in shortened version; an entire life torn apart, a relationship built and broken, a dream started and lost within the confines of a few minutes, similar to what Grey’s does every episode. No wonder Freya featured.  And one more thing, for those who may still not realise it; Freya is not Florence. (Jo Michelmore)

#111. MISSING YOU

by Ariela Jacobs

I can't help myself

I go astray

It really wouldn’t be an end of year countdown without the gorgeous sounds of Ariela Jacobs. She’s been one of our most loved artists over the past ten years of It’s My Kind of Scene and ‘Missing You’ keeps that flame a-burnin’. Jacobs’ dreamy vocals navigate you through a track dominated by the sweetest longing. As a listener, you’re in her corner, hoping that she’ll find her way back to the one she’s missing the most. Oh, the tragic romance of it all. One can only dream that Jacobs gets the fairytale ending she deserves. Until then, we’re just happy to be along for the musical ride. (Matt Bond)