Today marked the conclusion of the Australian public radio station Triple J's almost two decade long tradition of their Hottest 100 Countdown, a year end list decided democratically by the station’s global listenership. This year’s list garnered 16,000 songs voted over six weeks by 298,851 voters from listeners spanning across over 172 different countries.
Here are some of our highlights. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Australian-based artists dominated this year’s rankings by occupying a whopping 54 of the 100 slots in total. Australian psychedelia poster children, Tame Impala, tied for greatest number of listings on the Hottest 100 at four listed songs against the hard-rocking stoic, Courtney Barnett.
What could have been a list from any average person that glanced a recent "Top of 2015" list, Triple J placed household recognized tracks like Major Lazer's, "Lean On Me" and Kendrick Lamar's "King Kunta" in their top 3.
Classic, old school rocker Rod Stewart made his first Hottest 100 appearance, featured alongside rapper A$AP Rocky. Dance acts who made the cut this year included Disclosure, Duke Dumont, DJ Snake, Ratatat, The Chemical Brothers and more.
A few surprises came from low tier placements for Jamie XX, Flume and Grimes, who didn't even make the top 20. However, it was heartwarming to see hometown fan support for rising Aussie electronic acts from music producers Alison Wonderland, Golden Features and familiar faces such as Flight Facilities.
UK rock n’ roll also possessed a strong presence in this year’s chart with Florence + the Machine, CHVRCHES and The Wombats each snatching an additional spots.
The highly coveted top spot was awarded, perhaps unsurprisingly, to another Australian-based alternative synth-rock group, The Rubens. In a video being circulated on the station’s YouTube channel, the band can be seen giddier than Bryan Cranston denying Leo yet again at this year’s Academy Awards, at the announcement of their dizzyingly catchy heartbreak ballad, “Hoops.”
Check out Triple J’s Hottest 100 list below:
1. The Rubens — Hoops
2. Kendrick Lamar — King Kunta
3. Major Lazer — Lean On (Feat. Momomoyouth, DJ Snake)
4. Tame Impala — The Less I Know The Better
5. Tame Impala — Let It Happen
6. Marcus Marr & Chet Faker — The Trouble With Us
7. Jarryd James — Do You Remember
8. Hermitude — The Buzz (Feat. Mataya/Young Tapz)
9. The Weeknd — Can’t Feel My Face
10. Disclosure — Magnets (Feat. Lorde)
11. Meg Mac — Never Be
12. RÜFÜS — You Were Right
13. Duke Dumont — Ocean Drive
14. Drake — Hotline Bling
15. Violent Soho — Like Soda
16. Vance Joy — Fire And The Flood
17. DJ Snake — Middle (Feat. Bipolar Sunshine)
18. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis — DOWNTOWN (Feat. Eric Nally/Melle Mel/Kool Moe Dee/Grandmaster Caz)
19. The Weeknd — The Hills
20. Foals — Mountain At My Gates
21. Gang Of Youths — Magnolia
22. L D R U — Keeping Score (Feat. Paige IV)
23. SAFIA — Embracing Me
24. Flume — Some Minds (Feat. Andrew Wyatt)
25. The Amity Affliction — Shine On
26. Jamie XX — I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) (Feat. Young Thug/Popcaan)
27. Vallis Alps — Young
28. RÜFÜS — Like An Animal
29. The Wombats — Greek Tragedy
30. Peking Duk — Say My Name (Feat. Benjamin Joseph)
31. Jamie XX — Loud Places (Feat. Romy)
32. CHVRCHES — Leave A Trace
33. Urthboy — Long Loud Hours (Feat. Bertie Blackman)
34. Tame Impala — Eventually
35. SAFIA — Counting Sheep
36. Snakehips All My Friends (Feat. Tinashe/Chance The Rapper)
37. Kendrick Lamar — Alright
38. Florence + The Machine — Delilah
39. Illy — Swear Jar
40. Florence + The Machine — Ship To Wreck
41. Claptone — Puppet Theatre (Ft. Peter Bjorn & John)
42. Halsey — Hold Me Down
43. Courtney Barnett — Pedestrian At Best
44. Hayden James — Something About You
45. Bring Me The Horizon — Throne
46. The Chemical Brothers — Go (Feat. Q-Tip)
47. Asta — Dynamite (Feat. Allday)
48. Parkway Drive — Crushed
49. San Cisco — Too Much Time Together
50. BOO SEEKA — Deception Bay
51. Chvrches — Clearest Blue
52. Ratatat — Cream On Chrome
53. Matt Corby — Monday
54. ZHU x Skrillex x THEY. — Working For It
55. Unknown Mortal Orchestra — Multi-Love
56. SIA — Alive
57. Alpine — Foolish
58. Parkway Drive — Vice Grip
59. Alison Wonderland — Run
60. MØ — Kamikaze
61. Tame Impala — ‘Cause I’m A Man
62. Disclosure — Omen
63. Boy & Bear — Walk The Wire
64. A$AP Rocky — L$D
65. Alabama Shakes — Don’t Wanna
66. Tkay Maidza — M.O.B.
67. The Wombats — Give Me A Try
68. Skepta — Shutdown
69. Japanese Wallpaper — Forces
70. Florence + The Machine — What Kind of Man
71. Grimes — Flesh without Blood
72. Birds Of Tokyo — Anchor
73. Ngaiire — Once
74. Major Lazer — Powerful (Feat. Ellie Goulding/Tarrus Riley)
75. Courtney Barnett — Elevator Operator
76. British India — Suddenly
77. DMA’s — Lay down
78. Jack Garratt — Weathered
79. The Cat Empire — Wolves
80. A$AP Rocky — Everyday
81. Tuka — Big Jet Plane (Like A Version)
82. Courtney Barnett — Depreston
83. Flight Facilities — Down To Earth
84. Sticky Fingers — Delete
85. Flight Facilities — Heart Attack
86. Bring Me The Horizon — Happy Song
87. Purity Ring — begin again
88. The Bennies — Party Machine
89. Lana Del Ray — High By The Beach
90. What So Not — Gemini
91. The Wombats — Be Your Shadow
92. Golden Features — No One
93. Jai Wolf — Indian Summer
94. Halsey — Ghost
95. Courtney Barnett — Nobody Really
96. Rudimental — Rumour Mill
97. Methyl Ethel — Twilight Driving
98. Major Lazer — Be Together (Feat. Wild Belle)
99. Bring Me The Horizon — True Friends
100. Seth Sentry — Hell Boy
