Over the last 12 months, Aussie and Kiwi talent certainly turned things up a notch, transforming restrictive circumstances into an unbridled opportunity for newfound creativity, both sonically and visually. Harnessing everything from DIY in-home approaches, to mixed media formats, or simply capturing breathtaking local landscapes, our trans-Tasman storytellers proved a formidable force. Without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the Besties’ (our BB team’s) top picks for the year:
Lorde – “Solar Power”
Album: ‘Solar Power’
Directors: Ella Yelich-O’Connor (Lorde) and Joel Kefali
Exactly how this year’s offering from Our Lorde and Saviour became one of the most polarising of music releases this year is a moot point when we see our gal living her best life. Maybe we just don’t like to see the original antipodean angsty it-girl happy? The pastel-toned “Solar Power” video is both a tongue-in-cheek satire of the wellness industry and its assorted cultish “influencers”, and a celebration of the simple life that Lorde obviously cherishes in the remote haven of New Zealand/Aoteroa. It’s a testament to Lorde’s sense of self and creative instincts to enter a new phase and be this unbothered, sun-kissed and happy. Beachy commune life from where you’d rather be. – Ben Harvey
Tkay Maidza – “KIM” (feat. Yung Baby Tate)
Album: ‘Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3’ EP
Director: Adrian Yu
Tkay Maidza is one of Australia’s most interesting and creative artists when it comes to the visuals she pairs with her tracks. This video takes us through iconic ‘Kim’ moments (paying tribute to Lil’ Kim, Kim Kardashian, and Kim Possible), but more than anything it reinforces to us that the Adelaide-based artist deserves to be right there beside these other iconic women as she continues to push the envelope visually and sonically. No one is doing it like Tkay. – Gabrielle Clement
Jaguar Jonze – “WHO DIED AND MADE YOU KING?”
Album: (TBC)
Director: Deena Lynch (Jaguar Jonze)
This could very well be the most important release for Australian music this year. Jaguar Jonze is at the vanguard of Aussie music’s #MeToo movement — the Brissie artist was the only musician invited to a meeting with Aus music’s major industry bodies that was set up to address the industry’s widespread issues of sexual assault/harassment. This video for ‘WHO DIED AND MADE YOU KING?’ takes aim at key perpetrators of abuse like disgraced former Sony Music Australia CEO Denis Handlin, who the song directly samples. Directed and edited by surely-superhuman Lynch herself, the clip was filmed at the dazzling museum of Brisbane, with mesmerising choreography helping to seal an incredibly powerful message. – Mina Kitsos
Confidence Man – “Holiday”
Album: ‘TILT’
Director: W.A.M. Bleakley
Party starters Confidence Man made a huge return in November with their massive single (and their only 2021 release) “Holiday”. The Brissie outfit were here to save the year with a delicious, infectious pop number to add to rotation on party playlists. ConMan aren’t known for half-assing any part of their aesthetic, and their accompanying video is no exception to this rule. They are the monarchs of ‘extra’, and boy do they stay on brand. The video sees them busting out the the full-bodied dance moves we know from their live shows, across beautiful scenery and hot-air balloon views, all to the backdrop of a bloody good dance number. We want it all. – Nick Robertson
Marcus Whale – “Two Holes”
Album: ‘The Hunger’
Director: Andrew Haining
Possessing a Lynchian cinematic quality, the music video for Marcus Whale’s “Two Holes” is a nocturnal dream sequence of desire and devotion. The Sydney artist cuts a mesmerising and mysterious figure as his sexy alter ego “Cowboy Lucifer”, outfitted by Chloe Corkran and Athena Thebus. This queen of the damned dons a western hat, Elizabethan neck ruff, fluffy chaps and jockstrap, reimagining and queering the already pretty queer classic vampiric character. Starkly lit, Whale performs to an unseen audience whilst pulling a few subtle line-dance moves down shadowy suburban scapes in half-time. Exploring vampiric mythology and the liminality of existence never looked so good. Maybe I would want to run into this guy in a dark alleyway… – Ben Harvey
Jess Day – “Naked”
Album: (TBC)
Directors: Jack Bielby and Thomas Schaefer
This is the classic lovers-to-enemies storyline, yet Adelaide-based singer-songwriter Jess Day manages to make it unique, interesting, and catchy with “Naked”. The partnering music video really complements the song’s storyline — soft and long shots of a couple build up to a crescendo where things become increasingly fast-paced and hostile. It stars Brenna Harding (Sue from ‘Puberty Blues’) and her talents are really highlighted by her effort to pull heartstrings in three minutes and 12 seconds. The colour grading in the video is, in classic Schaefer and Bielby style, on point. It features the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula coastline and it’s worth watching, even if just for the beautiful locations used. – Dani Brown
B Wise – “Ezinna” (feat. Sampa The Great and Milan Ring)
Album: ‘jamie’
Director: Joseph Plumb
COVID completely canned your plans this year? That wasn’t the case for Western Sydney artist B Wise, who joined forces with fellow local legends Sampa The Great and Milan Ring, to create the visuals for one of my fave tracks from Wise’s sophomore LP ‘jamie’, “Ezinna”. Featuring self-shot footage, DIY home sets, and cameos from a stack of muso pals, from Becca Hatch, to Jeida Woods, Boy Soda, A.GIRL, CHAII, and Cali crooner Miguel, just to name a few, the vibrant video brings to life the “celebration of identity” that B Wise intended as the song’s key sentiment. Warm and fuzzies guaranteed. – Mina Kitsos
Ruby Fields – “Bottle-o”
Album: ‘Been Doin’ It For A Bit’
Director: Tas Wilson
Set in a dimly lit country pub, like any other you’d see driving down the east coast of Australia, with locals sharing a pint over a game of cards, a bartender cleaning glasses and having a chin wag with some patrons — you know the place I’m talking about. It’s pretty mundane stuff, to be fair, but that’s the charm of the song. The single-shot film clip by Tas Wilson (also Field’s bass player) pans across the the pub to find Ruby, a pint and a Steinbach piano in a dark corner of the room, where the Sutherland Shire local delivers “Bottle’o”, a no-frills song (like its clip) that is so painfully relatable you’ll feel like it was written for you. There’s no bells and whistles or special effects, and that’s the beauty of it — a future Australian classic. – Tim Lambert
Nick Ward – “PRINCESS”
Album: (TBC)
Directors: Nick Ward and Jacinthe Lau
Simply put, this video acts as a perfectly accurate extension of Nick Ward’s music. Initially simple and soft spoken, but ultimately overwhelmingly emphatic. Notably, the fact that this was filmed and co-directed by Nick’s partner, Jacinthe Lau, likely contributed to this sense of complete and utter visual and musical alignment. – David Mahon
Amyl and The Sniffers – “Guided By Angels”
Album: ‘Comfort To Me’
Director: John Angus Stewart
Melburnian four-piece Amyl and The Sniffers are adored both here and across the UK and Europe, and it’s easy to see why. Their electrifying brand of punk and pub rock underscores their sophomore LP, ‘Comfort To Me’, a lockdown project the group composed while quarantining together. “Guided by Angels” arrived as the first taste of the record, with high-octane visuals to boot. Belting it out between the backseat of a car, a field, a storage unit, and the oceanside, leadwoman Amy Taylor holds nothing back, and the vibe is straight-up infectious. – Mina Kitsos