The Music 2020 Writers' Poll: Cyclone

Album Of The Year

1. The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You
2. 070 Shake - Modus Vivendi
3. Miiesha - Nyaaringu
4. Annie - Dark Hearts
5. The Weeknd - After Hours
6. Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake
7. Ziggy Ramo - Black Thoughts
8. Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
9. Duke Dumont - Duality
10. Grimes - Miss Anthropocene

Song Of The Year

1. Cardi B feat Megan Thee Stallion - WAP
2. James Blake - Are You Even Real?
3. CLYPSO & RAAVE TAPES - Down To The Wire
4. ONEFOUR & The Kid LAROI - My City
5. Future Islands - For Sure

Artist Of The Year

1. Megan Thee Stallion
2. The Kid LAROI
3. Juice WRLD

International Artist Live Performance Of The Year

1. Future Islands
2. a-ha
3. DJ Minx

Australian Artist Live Performance Of The Year

1. Stevan
2. Alice Skye
3. Triple One

TV Show Of The Year

1. Supernatural
2. The Pale Horse
3. Legacies

Highlight Of The Year

Highlights? Hmmm. Presumably Trump is gone… The Destiel ship is now canon in Supernatural. I enjoyed creating concept DJ Spotify playlists in lockdown, complete with narratives and mood boards – more fun than puzzles.


Prediction For Next Year

The wider Australian music industry will largely be focussed on homegrown artists in the foreseeable future. In fact, there are many acts that deserve more attention – like the New Romantic Sonny (ex-Gypsy & The Cat) and the deep soul Natalie Slade. Popular Music (half-Australian) have made an exquisite album of modish cinematic covers. Cookii is creating music that falls between Avril Lavigne and Ciara with a PC Music aesthetic. Intriguingly, Pseudo Echo have credibly reinvented themselves as a post-EDM act, recording Ibiza house with The Midnight's sleek futurist nostalgia. The interiority that has defined hip hop may give way to something less melancholy following the COVID-19 lockdowns. The next 'It' genre will be Russian drill.