Ocean Alley take Confidence to top spot in the Hottest 100

Ocean Alley won the top spot in Triple J's 2018 Hottest 100 with their funky,slow groove Confidence and also claimed 10th spot withKnees dropping into the business end of the countdown.

And if that wasn't enough to celebrate,the six-piece from Sydney - that began as a group of friends before becoming a band - provided a perfect bookend to the count by placing 100th withHappy Sad.

Ocean Alley's Confidence took top spot in the Hottest 100 for 2018.

Ocean Alley's Confidence took top spot in the Hottest 100 for 2018.Louise Kennerley

Confidence was one of seven Australian songs to finish inside the top 10 with Fisher (producer Paul Fisher,originally from the Gold Coast) coming in second place withLosing It and Texan rapper Travis Scott'sSicko Mode (featuring Drake) coming third. Amy Shark'sI Said Hi came fifth behind Childish Gambino'sThis Is America in fourth spot.

Ocean Alley's Like a Version cover ofBaby Come Back,originally by Californian band Player in 1977,also earned the group from Sydney's northern beaches 16th place in the count - that's four songs in total including the coveted top spot.

Amy Shark is no stranger to the Hottest 100 with her smash hitAdore claiming second spot in the 2016 count. As well as another top five finish,she also landed in 36th spot withAll Loved Up.

After another huge year for the Gold Coast singer,songwriter and producer,winning Album of the Year forLove Monster,Best Pop Release and Best Female at the recent ARIA awards,Shark'sI Said Hi finished ahead of Dean Lewis'Be Alright in sixth spot,Mallrat'sGroceries in seventh,Billie Eilish in eighth spot withWhen the Party's Over,Ruby Fields'Dinosaur in ninth and Ocean Alley'sKnees rounding out the top 10.

Late last week Ocean Alley's keyboardist Lach Galbraith said the band would be listening into the countdown around a friend's pool,the same place where they also spent last year's Hottest 100 when their song The Comedown came in 48th.

"I'm not a betting man,we make music because we love it and what we've been seeing online ... the anticipation is great but we all like a bit of a surprise as well,"he said. No doubt they were surprised when three of their own songs (all from last year'sChiaroscuro album) plus a cover landed in the Hottest 100,which was first held in 1989.

"Our writing is free flowing,"Galbraith said."If it comes from somewhere we think is a good place then we'll chase it ... we didn't realise how much of an impact it (Confidence) would make,people started to really get behind it."

This is the second year the Hottest 100 has been held on January 27 after host broadcaster Triple J moved the count from Australia Day last year. It was a shift that was criticised by some listeners and politicians at the time but was overwhelmingly supported by those who voted.

There were 65 Australian songs in the list of 100 and 21 artists appeared for the first time. Eight of the artists appearing this year scored a hat-trick by making the list three years in a row and five songs that made it onto the list were uploaded to Triple J's Unearthed in 2018.

Rapper and producer Kendrick Lamar from Compton in California,who finished in top spot of the 2017 Hottest 100 withHumble,placed 28th this year with the trackAll the Stars featuring SZA.

A record number of votes were cast in this year's count with more than 2.7 million - up 15 per cent or 370,000 votes on the previous year. A higher percentage of woman than men voted and just over 60 per cent of voters were aged 24 and under. New South Wales led the votes with 29 per cent followed by Victoria (23 per cent),Queensland (19 per cent),Western Australia (10 per cent),South Australia (eight percent),ACT and Tasmania (three per cent) and Northern Territory (one per cent). Five per cent of votes were lodged from overseas.

Melbourne's Vance Joy,whose Nation of Two album was released in February last year,was among two artists who had back-to-back songs in Sunday's count withWe're Going Home landing in 53rd spot andSaturday Sun in 54th spot. Sydney's Rufus Du Sol came in 21st and 22nd withUnderwater andTreat You Better respectively.

Hip-hop artist and dancer Danzal Baker,from Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory,performs and records as Baker Boy and was named Young Australian of the Year on the eve of Australia Day. Fans voted Baker Boy's track Mr La Di Da Di in 51st place.

Sydney's DMA's will embark on a headline tour of the UK in April but for now can celebrate three of their songs landing in the Hottest 100 withIn the Air claiming 41st spot,The End coming in 60th andDo I Need You Now? landing in 97th place. It was DMA's fifth consecutive year in the countdown. It was also the fifth year in a row for Peking Duk,who came in 55th spot withWasted.

Florence and the Machine,who performed at The Domain in Sydney on Saturday and Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl last week as part of their national tour,came in 82nd spot withHunger.

Rocking duo Hockey Dad from Wollongong are huge Triple J favourites and scored a triple header withJoin the Club coming 18th,I Wanna Be Everybody in 61st andSweet Release dropping into 73rd spot. All three songs are from the band's second albumBlend Inn,which also contains the track Homely Feeling which got 54th spot in last year's count.

Canadian rapper and producer Drake,who also counts acting among his many other roles,released his double albumScorpion last year and scored two Hottest 100 spots withNice For What in 40th spot andGod's Plan coming in 43rd.

Kanye West'sGhost Town from hisYe album came in 98th spot just ahead of Yungblud'sPolygraph Eyes in 99th.

Triple J's music director Nick Findlay said Ocean Alley'sConfidence had"a level of sun-drenched soul"that made it hugely popular around the country."It's a song that led the votes from day one of polling and never stopped its huge trajectory to success,"he said.

2019 TRIPLE J HOTTEST 100

1)Ocean AlleyConfidence
2)FISHERLosing It
3)Travis ScottSICKO MODE (ft. Drake)
4)Childish GambinoThis Is America
5)Amy SharkI Said Hi
6)Dean LewisBe Alright
7)MallratGroceries
8)Billie EilishWhen The Party’s Over
9)Ruby FieldsDinosaurs
10)Ocean AlleyKnees
11)SkegssUp In The Clouds
12)The WombatsTurn
13)A$AP RockyPraise The Lord (Da Shine) (ft. Skepta)
14)WafiaI’m Good
15)Hayden JamesJust Friends (ft. Boy Matthews)
16)Ocean AlleyBaby Come Back (Triple J Like A Version 2018)
17)Billie EilishLovely (ft. Khalid)
18)Hockey DadJoin The Club
19)BroodsPeach
20)KIANWaiting
21)The RubensNever (ft. Sarah Aarons)
22)RÜFÜS DU SOLUnderwater
23)RÜFÜS DU SOLTreat You Better
24)Hilltop HoodsLeave Me Lonely
25)ThundamentalsI Miss You
26)Vera BlueAll The Pretty Girls
27)Post Malone&Swae LeeSunflower
28)Kendrick Lamar&SZAAll The Stars
29)Peking DukFire
30)Cub SportSometimes
31)Alison WonderlandChurch
32)The RubensGod Forgot
33)Post MaloneBetter Now
34)King Princess1950
35)Mac MillerLadders
36)Amy SharkAll Loved Up
37)Ziggy AlbertsLove Me Now
38)G FlipAbout You
39)Ball Park MusicThe Perfect Life Does Not Exist
40)DrakeNice For What
41)DMA’sIn The Air
42)Ziggy AlbertsLaps Around The Sun
43)DrakeGod’s Plan
44)Hilltop HoodsClark Griswold (ft. Adrian Eagle)
45)Bring Me The HorizonMANTRA
46)Billie EilishYou Should See Me In A Crown
47)DZ DeathraysLike People
48)San CiscoWhen I Dream
49)Angie McMahonMissing Me
50)RÜFÜS DU SOLNo Place
51)Baker BoyMr La Di Da Di
52)KhalidBetter
53)Vance JoyWe’re Going Home
54)Vance JoySaturday Sun
55)Peking DukWasted
56)HalseyWithout Me
57)The PresetsMartini
58)BENESoaked
59)Meg MacGive Me My Name Back
60)DMA’sThe End
61)Hockey DadI Wanna Be Everybody
62)G FlipKilling My Time
63)BROCKHAMPTONBOOGIE
64)Middle KidsMistake
65)Methyl EthelScream Whole
66)Flight FacilitiesNeed You (ft. NÏKA)
67)Anderson .PaakTints (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
68)benny blancoEastside (ft. Halsey,Khalid)
69)The WombatsCheetah Tongue
70)MallratUFO (ft. Allday)
71)SkegssSmogged Out
72)Nothing But ThievesWhat Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out (Triple J Like a Version 2018)
73)Hockey DadSweet Release
74)King PrincessPussy Is God
75)Kira PuruMolotov
76)Polish ClubClarity
77)CHVRCHESMiracle
78)Hayden JamesBetter Together (ft. Running Touch)
79)Thelma PlumClumsy Love
80)Mark RonsonNothing Breaks Like A Heart (ft. Miley Cyrus)
81)Jack RiverBallroom
82)Florence + The MachineHunger
83)BROCKHAMPTON1999 WILDFIRE
84)Tash SultanaCigarettes
85)Anderson .PaakBubblin’
86)Lime Cordiale– Dirt Cheap
87)RuelYounger
88)WAAXLabrador
89)RuelDazed&Confused
90)Post MalonePsycho (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)
91)A$AP RockySundress
92)ThundamentalsEverybody But You
93)Trophy EyesYou Can Count On Me
94)The Amity AfflictionIvy (Doomsday)
95)Arctic MonkeysFour Out Of Five
96)OdetteTake It To The Heart
97)DMA’sDo I Need You Now?
98)Kanye WestGhost Town
99)YUNGBLUDPolygraph Eyes
100)Ocean AlleyHappy Sad

Martin Boulton is a music writer and editor at The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

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