COME Saturday evening as we reach the pointy end of triple j's annual Hottest 100 countdown, many once-a-year listeners will toss up the odious "I've never heard of them" or "music is crap now."
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It's almost as predictable as some triple j announcer, who sounds like they've just reached puberty, spruiking the publicly-voted poll as being the closest in history.
So whether you regularly tune into the jays or you moved on when Mikey Robins left, here's the favourites for the hottest song in the year of COVID-19.
HEAT WAVES - GLASS ANIMALS
SPORTSBET has listed Heat Waves by English psychedelic-pop act Glass Animals as its $1.45 favourite and there's no doubting the song taps perfectly into the zeitgeist of 2020.
Glass Animals frontman and songwriter Dave Bayley describes the track as being "about loss and longing, and ultimately realising you are unable to save something." Certainly a sensation experienced by many listeners in the past 12 months.
Previously Glass Animals were best known for their hypnotic 2014 single Gooey, but Heat Waves takes their songwriting to new heights with a chorus that will bury deep in your mind.
But seriously what do lads from Oxford know about a heat wave? Have they tried strolling around Cessnock in January?
BOOSTER SEAT - SPACEY JANE
TALK to any young Newcastle muso playing in a band and the chances are you'll find Spacey Jane on heavy rotation in their Spotify playlists. The Perth band's breezy and melodic brand of indie-pop is simplistic, yet deceptively alluring.
There's more obvious Spacey Jane songs from their debut album Daylight to be a triple j contender, like the singles Straightfaced and Skin, however, Booster Seat is the one presenting the best chance of securing the first Australian Hottest 100 winner since Ocean Alley's Confidence in 2018.
Booster Seat is a slow burning song about how dealing with anxiety and being consoled, leaves vocalist Caleb Harper feeling like a child again. During a year when many of us were more anxious than ever, Booster Seat felt comforting.
CHERUB - BALL PARK MUSIC
DESPITE Ball Park Music being triple j darlings for the past decade the Brisbane indie veterans have never featured in the Hottest 100 top 10. Cherub is almost certain to correct that snub.
Cherub is another slow-burner built around Sam Cromack's country-twang vocal, acoustic guitar and gorgeous backing vocals. What takes the song from pretty waltz, about one's lack of confidence, into something colossal is the explosive finale of crashing drums, guitar and synths.
WAP - CARDI B & MEGAN THEE STALLION
WAP was either a provocative sex-positive message for women or vulgar trash, depending on where your music tastes and morality are placed. It's certainly not your atypical triple j song, but you cannot deny that US rappers Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's No.1 was 2020's most talked-about track.
If you're wondering what WAP stands for, Google it. This is a family-friendly newspaper after all. Just don't use your work computer or phone.
