Adelaide’s best music of 2024
It’s been a great year for SA music and these are our team’s favourite tracks that’ll keep rotating on our playlists into 2025.
Claudia Dichiera’s picks:
aleksiah – ‘Batsh*t’
I don’t play favourites, but ‘Batsh*t’ by aleksiah was probably my most listened-to local tune of 2024. And it was a fight to secure this song as my pick as it was hot property in the office, particularly after we learnt more about the Adelaide musician in our latest print edition of CityMag. This song is giving Olivia Rodrigo with its dark vibe yet fun play on words. When aleksiah released this tune in October, she said the song is “reckless, unserious and fun”. It was written in two hours and it shows a side of aleksiah that we haven’t seen yet. If this is the type of music we can expect from the indie pop princess in 2025, then I can’t wait.
Nyassa – ‘Electric Woman’
I have adored Nyassa since the moment I interviewed her and learnt all about her life as a musician. From touring with Hilltop Hoods to singing the national anthem at the 2024 Suncorp Super Netball grand final, she is on her way up. Her effervescent style belongs in the streets of New York, with most of her iconic pieces being made by her mum and designed by her. This style is shown in the Electric Woman video clip, in which she dons a bleached blonde voluminous wig and lipstick glasses. The song – much like her outfit in the music video – is extravagant and the type of tune that makes you feel on top of the world, which was Nyassa’s exact intention when writing it.
Busseys – ‘Drawn Back’
I have a soft spot for Busseys as their song ‘Swear It Was True’ was one of the first I reviewed for our Best new music column. When I heard ‘Drawn Back’, it felt nostalgic and I remembered why I loved this band in the first place. Their sound is an Australian indie vibe, inspired by Spacey Jane and Phoebe Bridgers. Their song, ‘Drawn Back,’ is the perfect road trip track and an easygoing listen that’s been on rotation in my playlists since it was released in April this year.
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Charlie Gilchrist’s picks:
Jamie Lena – ‘Dissolve’
Jamie Lena has been on my playlist since she released ‘Dissolve’ earlier this year. ‘Dissolve’ appeared on Jamie Lena’s debut EP, aptly titled Jamie Lena. The bright tune combines the sexy sound of jazz guitar with a groovy beat and Jamie Lena’s melodious voice, creating a colourful texture. It’s impossible to listen to ‘Dissolve’ without tapping your foot and doing a little shoulder shimmy. An equally fun music video accompanies the song, highlighting the whimsical quality of ‘Dissolve’. Lyrically, the song seems to be about relationship struggles: “If I dissolved in your affections/Would it take away my edge/If I dissolved my inhibitions/Would we float a while instead,” sings Jamie Lena. According to her Spotify bio, “Jamie Lena explores the intimacy of living; intricate complexities of human experience”.
Ricky Albeck – ‘Insignificant Favours’
Who said country isn’t cool? I’ve been a fan of Ricky Albeck ever since he launched his debut single, Lovely Bones, with his Belair Line Band at the Hotel Metro in 2018. As the son of South Australian country star Beccy Cole, western music is in Ricky Albeck’s DNA, and it shows. This year, Ricky Albeck released his newest album, Nocturnal, which includes the country rock track ‘Insignificant Favours’. True to his roots, the song features slide guitar, the fiddle and a lyrical reference to one of the country’s favourite themes: the whisky bottle. “In the early hours of darkness/He drinks to wash away the hopeless/That he feels every night/Like an alarm clock on his mind/It worries him the death that he’s thinking about all the time,” he sings.
Lucas Day – ‘Déjà vu’
Haven’t we heard this song somewhere before? I guess it’s a case of déjà vu. In all seriousness, though, ‘Deja Vu’ stood out as one of my favourite tracks from CityMag’s Best New Music in 2024. I was lucky enough to see Lucas Day live when he performed at the Adelaide Guitar Festival earlier this year, and he truly managed to capture the energy of that performance in this recording. ‘Deja Vu’ mixes elements of blues rock with funk and rock n’ roll, as well as Lucas Day’s soulful vocal performance. This passion is also reflected in Lucas Day’s lyrics: “Déjà vu feels new/When I’m falling for you”, he sings.
Helen Karakulak’s picks:
Alt. – ‘Conversations that hurt’
This track is a high-energy plea: “I want you to show me something / Just give me a reason to let you in”. The lyrics are dripping with passionate apathy which yes, should be an oxymoron. If you’ve ever pled with someone (or yourself) to feel something, to be proven wrong after a betrayal then you’ll be at home with the sharp vocals. Alt’s take on pop-punk/alternative-rock is simultaneously refreshing and nostalgic, like the Adelaide five-piece would fit on a Soundwave lineup with the likes of Mayday Parade and Bring Me the Horizon. In the music video by the Adelaide scene’s go-to director, Conor Mercury, the production crew is relentlessly swept aside by the striking pop-rock emanating from the amp. I’d gladly line up to experience the same.
Maybe Hugo – ‘Like B4’
‘Like B4’ was the first single from Maybe Hugo and although he’s since put out a whole EP in 2024, this track was a standout as one of the strongest debuts from any Adelaide artist all year. It’s refined, determined and soulful, suitably introducing the 23-year-old multi-instrumentalist to the scene as a force of funk. Hugo’s sophisticated flair and aloof vocals make for a gripping hook: ‘She doesn’t talk to me like she did before / she doesn’t want me / want me anymore’ – we’ve all been there, right?
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Tushar – ‘Feels Like A Start’
I’ve never met the guy, but Tushar seems like a hopeless romantic. Listening to ‘Feels Like A Start’ makes me want to be one too. The titular track of his 2024 EP, the bouncy, surf-pop track is floral and refreshing. Tushar has a sound that seems uniquely him and is carving out a space for himself among Adelaide’s indie artists that will surely see him rewarded. Written by Tushar & Benny Tamblyn, lyrics like ‘I wanna jump in with you / we can make space for two / I wanna jump in with you’ are deliciously catchy. It sounds like how a great first date on a summer evening feels.
David Simmons’ picks:
Swapmeet – ‘Ceiling Fan’
There’s a certain feint, physical pressure that weighs on your heart when you start to fall for someone. Then there’s a desperate knot that winds up in your bowels and a dizzying cacophony that bounces around in your skull when they give, then take, then give again, then take some more and then some. These feelings and so much more are captured on Adelaide’s breakout four-piece Swapmeet’s lead single from the EP Oxalis: ‘Ceiling Fan’. The track itself would make early Radiohead or Coldplay blush with its precision and style, while the crushing realisation distilled through the lyrics – ‘Feels like I’ve wasted my year / On this sick hope / On this sick dream / On this delusional sense of reality’ – is a punch to the gut of anyone who’s taken to the emotionally unavailable. Bravo.
Twine – ‘Fruit To Ripe’
Sometimes you just gotta scream. ‘Fruit To Ripe’ was the last single Twine released before they dropped their debut LP New Old Horse, and was the perfect pre-drink before we downed the bottle. Tom Katsaras’ guttural vocals blast off the blocks from the get-go as he begs to be ripped open from the inside. The track builds upon the almost pop-punk intro and is dragged into a dazzling high by Thea Martin’s addictive violin refrain. It spirals and spirals from there, with Katsaras losing inhibition in the final third as his one-two-threes collapse into a bloody mess, only held together by Jackson Pagett’s drums. Twine proved themselves as one of Adelaide’s premier bands this year, but cemented that fact with ‘Fruit To Ripe’.
War Room – ‘The Top Floor’
War Room is the most sonically exciting band in the 5000s, with their sound best exemplified by the single ‘The Top Floor’. It’s kooky, fun and rollicking, and bounces between each member of the band like a thrilling acrobatic performance at the circus. Like in Twine, Thea Martin’s violin pulls War Room’s sound to another level. Her confident riffs are the glue of the track and are as important as the vocal line. We reckon 2025 is going to be a big one for War Room.
Gere – ‘Drive!’
I was really sad when Paradise Club announced they were either retiring or going on hiatus – still not sure which, maybe I should do my job and ask… But those feelings were somewhat dashed when frontman Gere popped up out of nowhere with a fully realised LP stacked with colourful – almost digital – pop songs. The three-run track at the beginning of the album – Heaven Hill – is unbeatable, but sandwiched between ‘2009 iMac’ and ‘User’ is my favourite from the record: ‘Drive!’. Sitting somewhere in between Porter Robinson’s 2021 output and early stuff from The 1975, ‘Drive!’ is a saccharine banger with the soul of Gere’s former band’s best work, and a nice little antidote for my post-Paradise Club depression.