The Rubens Claim #1 On 2015 Triple J Hottest 100 Countdown

The Rubens have joined the likes of Chet Faker, Vance Joy and that Macklemore fellow in the hallowed halls of triple j Hottest 100 winners, claiming the #1 spot in the countdown of 2015's best songs as voted by the people for their widely celebrated single, Hoops.

With the weight of the triple j listeners behind it, the year's cream of the crop was an eclectic, accomplished bunch, with The Rubens seeing strong competition from second-placer Kendrick Lamar, a hot-tipped favourite to take out the whole shebang; the incendiary hip hop star instead settling for silver for his wildly popular cut King Kunta.

Major Lazer took the bronze with Lean On (ft. MO & DJ Snake), in the final of multiple appearances — they also claimed #98 with Be Together (ft. Wild Belle) and #74 with Powerful (ft. Ellie Goulding & Tarrus Riley) — while hit machines Tame Impala rounded out the top five on their own with The Less I Know The Better and Let It Happen respectively. The Kevin Parker-led outfit maintained one of the strongest presences throughout the countdown, also picking up nods for Eventually, at #34, and Cause I'm A Man, at #61.

Local showstopper Courtney Barnett was the only act to equal Tame Impala's appearances, picking up four spots of her own with Nobody Really Cares If You Don't Go To The Party at #95, Depreston at #82, Elevator Operator at #75 and Pedestrian At Best at #43.

The all-star team-up of Marcus Marr & Chet Faker brought us the sixth most-voted-for track of the year in The Trouble With Us, with ascendant crooner Jarryd James taking out #7 for Do You Remember and Hermitude nabbing #8 with The Buzz (ft. Mataya & Young Tapz).

Canadian dark horse The Weeknd put up one of the year's strongest with Can't Feel My Face, which clocked in at #9 (as well as The Hills at #19), while UK dance duo Disclosure rounded out the top 10 with Magnets ft. Lorde, popping up again a ways down the ladder at #62 with Omen ft. Sam Smith. Just outside the top 10, club, R&B and hip hop sounds flowed thick and fast courtesy the likes of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Downtown ft. Eric Nally, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee & Grandmaster Caz, #18), DJ Snake (who makes a solo appearance with Middle ft. Bipolar Sunshine, #17), Drake (Hotline Bling, #14) and Duke Dumont (Ocean Drive, #13).

Down at the ground floor, it was Aussie rapper Seth Sentry who laid the foundation for this year's countdown, with his song Hell Boy taking first-named honours at #100 today, just ahead of Bring Me The Horizon's first effort, while the first three of Barnett's entries made their appearances within the first 30 songs and Flight Facilities nearly nabbed back-to-backs with the radio edits of Heart Attack (ft. Owl Eyes) at #85 and Down To Earth at #83. Sticky Fingers messed that up, though, with their Like A Version rendition of DMA's Delete squeezing in-between at #84. Like A Version covers enjoyed further representation by way of Tuka's #81-worthy stab at Angus & Julia Stone's Big Jet Plane (the original being a former #1 place-getter in the countdown itself).

It was a decent competition for heavy music, too, as international heavyweights Bring Me The Horizon took out three spots (True Friends, #99; Happy Song, #86; Throne, #45), while Parkway Drive claimed two (Vice Grip, #58; Crushed, #48). Additional multi-placers from across the musical landscape included Flight Facilities, The Wombats, Florence & The Machine, Halsey, CHVRCHES, Jamie xx, SAFIA and RUFUS.

It was a happily Aussie-heavy first half across the board for the Hottest 100, with additional local acts getting a look-in on the way to #50 including Methyl Ethel (Twilight Driving, #97), Golden Features (No One ft. Thelma Plum, #92), What So Not (Gemini ft. George Maple, #90), The Bennies (Party Machine, #88), The Cat Empire (Wolves, #79), DMA's (Lay Down, #77), British India (Suddenly, #76), Ngaiire (Once, #73), Birds Of Tokyo (Anchor, #72), Japanese Wallpaper (Forces ft. Airling, #69), Tkay Maidza (M.O.B., #66), Boy & Bear (Walk The Wire, #63), Tame Impala, Alison Wonderland (Run, #59), Parkway Drive, Alpine (Foolish, #57), Sia (Alive, #56), Matt Corby (Monday, #53) and, right on the halfway mark, Boo Seeka with Deception Bay.

The Aussie prominence was a theme maintained on the way to those lauded top 10 songs and continued to demonstrate the considerable clout held by our own locally produced music among discerning ears Down Under. Among those representing the green and gold in the bones of the second half were San Cisco (Too Much Time Together), Parkway Drive, Asta (Dynamite ft. Allday, #47), Hayden James (Something About You, #44), Courtney Barnett, Illy (Swear Jar, #39), SAFIA (Counting Sheep, #35; Embracing Me, #23), Tame Impala, Urthboy (Long Loud Hours ft. Bertie Blackman, #33), Peking Duk (Say My Name ft. Benjamin Joseph, #30), RUFUS (Like An Animal, #28; You Were Right, #12), The Amity Affliction (Shine On, #25), Flume (Some Minds ft. Andrew Wyatt, #24), LDRU (Keeping Score ft. Paige IV, #22), Gang Of Youths (Magnolia, #21), Vance Joy (Fire & The Flood, #16), Violent Soho (Like Soda, #15) and Meg Mac (Never Be, #11).

Clearly, they weren't just home-grown acts that kept the nation's attention, though; big throughout the mass, too, were artists often found across the country's festival stages throughout 2015, with love being shown for the likes of stalwart UK indie-poppers The Wombats (Be Your Shadow, #91; Give Me A Try, #67; and down the pointy end at #29 with Greek Tragedy), US upstart Halsey (Ghost, #94, making her second appearance closer to the front at #42 with Hold Me Down) and Brit superstars Florence & The Machine (What Kind Of Man, #70; also inside the top 50 at #40 and #38 with Ship To Wreck and Delilah respectively).

See the full countdown below.

triple j Hottest 100 2015 — top 10

10. Disclosure – Magnets (ft. Lorde)
9. The Weeknd – Can’t Feel My Face
8. Hermitude – The Buzz (ft. Mataya & Young Tapz)
7. Jarryd James – Do You Remember
6. Marcus Marr & Chet Faker – The Trouble With Us
5. Tame Impala – Let It Happen
4. Tame Impala – The Less I Know The Better
3. Major Lazer – Lean On (ft. MO/DJ Snake)
2. Kendrick Lamar – King Kunta
1. The Rubens - Hoops

triple j Hottest 100 2015 — #50-#11

50. Boo Seeka – Deception Bay
49. San Cisco – Too Much Time Together
48. Parkway Drive - Crushed
47. Asta – Dynamite (ft. Allday)
46. Chemical Brothers – Go (ft. QTip)
45. Bring Me The Horizon - Throne
44. Hayden James – Something About You
43. Courtney Barnett – Pedestrian At Best
42. Halsey – Hold Me Down
41. Claptone – Puppet Theatre (ft. Peter Bjorn & John)
40. Florence & The Machine – Ship To Wreck
39. Illy – Swear Jar
38. Florence & The Machine - Delilah
37. Kendrick Lamar - Alright
36. Snake Hips – All My Friends (ft. Tinashe/Chance The Rapper)
35. SAFIA – Counting Sheep
34. Tame Impala - Eventually
33. Urthboy – Long Loud Hours (ft. Bertie Blackman)
32. CHVRCHES – Leave A Trace
31. Jamie xx – Loud Places (ft. Romy)
30. Peking Duk – Say My Name (ft. Benjamin Joseph)
29. The Wombats – Greek Tragedy
28. RUFUS – Like An Animal
27. Vallis Alps - Young
26. Young Thug & Jamie xx – I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) (ft. Popcaan)
25. The Amity Affliction – Shine On
24. Flume – Some Minds (ft. Andrew Wyatt)
23. SAFIA – Embracing Me
22. LDRU – Keeping Score (ft. Paige IV)
21. Gang Of Youths - Magnolia
20. Foals – Mountain At My Gates
19. The Weeknd – The Hills
18. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Downtown (ft. Eric Nally, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee & Grandmaster Caz)
17. DJ Snake – Middle (ft. Bipolar Sunshine)
16. Vance Joy – Fire & The Flood
15. Violent Soho – Like Soda
14. Drake – Hotline Bling
13. Duke Dumont – Ocean Drive
12. RUFUS – You Were Right
11. Meg Mac – Never Be

triple j Hottest 100 2015 — #100-#51

100. Seth Sentry – Hell Boy
99. Bring Me The Horizon – True Friends
98. Major Lazer – Be Together (ft. Wild Belle)
97. Methyl Ethel – Twilight Driving
96. Rudimental – Rumour Mill (ft. Anne-Marie/Will Heard)
95. Courtney Barnett – Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party
94. Halsey – Ghost
93. Jai Wolf – Indian Summer
92. Golden Features – No One (ft. Thelma Plum)
91. The Wombats – Be Your Shadow
90. What So Not – Gemini (ft. George Maple)
89. Lana Del Rey – High By The Beach
88. The Bennies – Party Machine
87. Purity Ring – Begin Again
86. Bring Me The Horizon – Happy Song
85. Flight Facilities – Heart Attack (ft. Owl Eyes) (Radio Edit)
84. Sticky Fingers – Delete (triple J Like A Version)
83. Flight Facilities – Down To Earth (Radio Edit)
82. Courtney Barnett – Depreston
81. Tuka – Big Jet Plane (triple j Like A Version)
80. A$AP Rocky – Everyday (ft. Rod Stewart/Miguel/Mark Ronson)
79. The Cat Empire – Wolves
78. Jack Garratt – Weathered
77. DMA’s – Lay Down
76. British India – Suddenly
75. Courtney Barnett – Elevator Operator
74. Major Lazer – Powerful (ft. Ellie Goulding/Tarrus Riley)
73. Ngaiire – Once
72. Birds Of Tokyo – Anchor
71. Grimes – Flesh Without Blood
70. Florence & The Machine – What Kind Of Man
69. Japanese Wallpaper – Forces (ft. Airling)
68. Skepta – Shutdown
67. The Wombats – Give Me A Try
66. Tkay Maidza – M.O.B.
65. Alabama Shakes – Don’t Wanna Fight
64. A$AP Rocky – L$D
63. Boy & Bear – Walk The Wire
62. Disclosure – Omen (ft. Sam Smith)
61. Tame Impala – Cause I’m A Man
60. MO - Kamikaze
59. Alison Wonderland - Run
58. Parkway Drive – Vice Grip
57. Alpine - Foolish
56. Sia - Alive
55. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love
54. ZHU x Skrillex x THEY. – Working For It
53. Matt Corby - Monday
52. RATATAT – Cream On Chrome
51. CHVRCHES – Clearest Blue