The Smith Street Band, Saskwatch Make Carlton Dry Global Music Grant Shortlist

The shortlist for the coveted Carlton Dry Global Music Grant has been revealed today, with a mix of rock, hip hop, soul and electronica artists in the running for the $50,000 prize.

Melbourne alternative punks The Smith Street Band, indie-soul collective Saskwatch, hip hop star on the rise Remi, Canberra dance trio Safia and melodic electro artist Fractures were the five names revealed for the shortlist at BIGSOUND today.

The $50k grant, created in collaboration with the Australian Independent Record Labels Association, assists the winner in funding an international tour in a bid to boost their profile and career in the overseas market.

Last year, Melbourne fuzz-rock collective King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard took home the prize and it saw the band enjoy some very productive time in America, Europe and the UK. They are about to release the album that they recorded during their overseas tenure, thanks to the grant.

This year's winner will be revealed at the Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards on Wednesday 8 October. You can relive the full list of the awards' nominees here.

Now here's a little bit about our shortlisted artists:

The Smith Street Band

It's been another rapid-fire twelve months for these high-energy rockers, playing a stack of shows, including a tour earlier this year with the brilliant Violent Soho and, of course, working on their latest album - Throw Me In The River, which is out next month.

Saskwatch

This year saw the soul crew dish out their second full-length Nose Dive, a record which we believed cemented as one of "Melbourne's finest young bands." The collective also played a number of shows and still have several dates on the road coming up before the year is out.

Remi

The young MC has solidly built a reputation as one of our most popular rappers this year, on the wave of a whole lotta triple j love and his acclaimed, forward-thinking album Raw X Infinity. He's performing tonight at BIGSOUND at The Rev.

Safia

These Canberra fellas scored one of the most sought-after support slots of the year, opening for Kiwi sensation Lorde on her Aus tour a couple of months back. Throw in a stack of their own headline shows and Falls appearances to come, and you could say they've been pretty damn busy.

Fractures

Fractures, real name Mark Zito, has generated a whole heap of buzz over the past twelve months and Aussies aren't the only ones to take notice. The multi-instrumentalist recently put pen to paper on a US booking deal, not long after he released his latest EP.