#565-#561

#565. Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still (#26, 2017)

54th of 2017

When a band gets plucked from indie infamy to pop stardom, you can usually count back a few steps and see the path that took them there. Kings of Leon and The Black Keys both had been building success for years and had notably successful albums about 18 months before crossing over to great heights. Mitski's chart success doesn't fully line up but she had been generating mega hits under the radar and just needed the right song to do it again for the charts. These are artists with big enough audiences that it's always a possibility. In other cases, it feels so beyond realistic that you'd think a new band would have a better chance at this point. These out of left field cases are bands like Portugal. The Man.

Maybe someone will look back on it the same way I did those other artists. Portugal. The Man signed with Atlantic Records leading up to their 6th album, and immediately reaped the benefits, getting in good company to become one of those bands who at least get a look on the radio with every new single. This is how I came across them, with singles "Got It All (This Can't Be Living Now)" and "So American". The latter in particular remains a big favourite of mine. It's very reminiscent of their first hit "People Say" but with a significant buff in the hook department. Their 7th album followed a couple of years later and while it had a minor improvement in terms of chart peak, it didn't generate a major hit either, so it screamed of a band that had gone as far as they could, and were on the way out.

Album #8 "Woodstock" wouldn't come for another 4 years and at this point they felt like a cute throwback more than anything. I still ended up hearing their new music because it was out there being promoted, but I don't think anyone had crossover hit on their bingo card. Frankly I'd sooner expect Kings of Leon to pull another one out (in fact, thanks to Zach Bryan, they did chart again on the Billboard Hot 100 last month). The lead single had the catchy title of "Noise Pollution (Version A, Vocal Up Mix 1.3)" and had French backing vocals from Final Destination icon Mary Elizabeth Winstead (by the way Wendy is absolutely dead, this isn't an ambiguous Sopranos kind of ending).

I can remember when I first heard "Feel It Still" because the song had only just been released. I thought it was pretty good, and I added it to my playlist. My personal chart records are a relatively unbiased proof that I was modestly positive on the song months before it blew up, which is nice because sometimes I think the sheer volume of songs I hear makes it seem like I'm coming down harder on hit songs, but overall I'm probably pretty fair. Sometimes it can be a transformative experience, but I feel safe in saying that "Feel It Still" becoming a hit song did not make it particularly better or worse for me.

What a hit it was though. One that makes you appreciate the early adopters because it takes a lot of them to make the first steps. If this song had peaked at #89 on the Billboard Hot 100 it would have already been huge given the initial expectations, but then it just kept climbing and climbing for months until eventually peaking at #4, feeling completely out of place the entire way. It's even one of the last hit songs I've seen be completely staggered across the Atlantic, as somehow there was enough control in place to prevent this song from taking off in the UK until 2018. At a time when most hit songs are largely in sync across the world (with chart rules being the main difference), this is a strange relic of the past.

I think this song represents a new age at the same time. One where budding loyalty feels like it's not factored in at all. triple j are constantly championing bands long before they have their big break, and Portugal. The Man is one of those bands. They were in high rotation across their first two major label albums, but never really made a big impact. As they often do, triple j mostly moved on from them in 2017, and it just felt like by the time we finally got to it, almost none of the success the band were having was built on those foundations. They finally made the Hottest 100 but with a song triple j only spun a few times, so it didn't feel like breaking a drought as much as it was a big pop hit that just happened to be attached to a one-time triple j band. I had a similar feeling this year when Chase & Status and BABYMETAL also made the Hottest 100 for the first time. Those traditional fandom-driven ascents are being replaced by random flings.

With all of this in mind, you could potentially only know Portugal. The Man for this song, and so this is no different to the usual 'coming from nowhere' hits akin to Neon Trees or Echosmith. Even listening to the song probably doesn't inspire a lot because it does just boil down to being a catchy pop tune, with some pedigree in that it sounds like "Please Mr. Postman" whether intentionally or not. It's one of those two songs I was talking about regarding "Robbery" (#688), which I think Lime Cordiale only get away with through adding a choral section at the start rather than the similar bass riff. It's very easy to hear this song and understand quickly how it became a hit, but simultaneously I lived through months of it not being one, so both possibilities feel real to me. In this twisted variation on Schrödinger, it's impossible to fully know if a non-hit has potential until it's already realised.

#564. King Stingray - Lupa (#94, 2022)

53rd of 2022

The important thing you need to know with King Stingray is that they have pedigree. Their guitarist and original vocalist both have family trees that connect them to founding members of Yothu Yindi. Yothu Yindi is one of the most significant Australian bands in history. They blended Indigenous music & songwriting, and bridged a gap between white and blak Australia. They made music that was fun and also powerful. Their signature song "Treaty" is a scathing critique of the Australian government's sluggish action regarding then-prime minister Bob Hawke's response to the Barunga Statement, regarding a treaty between Aboriginal Australians and those who are non-Indigenous. To my knowledge, it's the most played song in history on triple j.

King Stingray embody some of the same ideals in a modern era. They're a fairly in vogue (in these parts) surf rock band, again allowing the sounds of Australia to thrive in an updated sense. One member, Dimathaya Burarrwanga is credited as the band's didgeridoo player, making plenty of use with it.

I don't know if I'll have much to say on an individual song level about this band. They've got 6 entries all up here and while I wouldn't say they all sound the same, I do think you go into this band with a pretty good idea of what you're going to get. I can't say I've ever heard a bad King Stingray song, which is why it's taken this long to get to the first one. I don't think there's anything to object about in "Lupa", it just doesn't stand out as much as the rest.

#563. Post Malone (feat Ty Dolla $ign) - Psycho (#90, 2018)

60th of 2018

If you're of the mindset that the advent of streaming has created a popular music economy that rewards being inoffensive over vying for attention, then this is a song that will work heavily in your favour to acknowledge. "Psycho" was a big hit. One of the absolute biggest hits of the year in fact, landing at #7 on ARIA's End Of Year chart, and where that relates to this list, only "Be Alright" (#986) and a future talking point have out scaled it. In the last decade or so, some peculiarities have gotten to the top spot on either the ARIA Chart, or the Billboard Hot 100. If we're talking about topping both of them, then nothing feels more peculiar than this, especially as it didn't just get the quick debut hype. This song simmered for months before making asynchronous strikes at the top spot. In Australia it was because the album came out and it had the best starting point out of all the Post Malone songs, in America, the same was somewhat true except more to do with radio airplay and it took another month to get there. Now that it's no longer the most currently relevant Post Malone song, it's regressed quite a bit, only 18th in his current daily totals (and it was 16th when I first typed this). Post Malone has a lot of moderately sized hits that this fits in perfectly with, and the Hottest 100 result reflects this. For a song that played everything by the book, I'm not sure there's a bigger disparity ever between commercial performance and voting result. "Psycho" scraped by with the bare minimum required enthusiasm and lost out to some songs whose lifetime global streaming totals only barely match this song's first day online. It just highlights the absolute ease to coast on by while you've got audience goodwill.

By now you're probably thinking what it is about this song that makes me target it. To that, I say it's self-evident. The perpetual first-gear pace. The sheer lack of standout bars or even engaging topic (the title line is basically about how cool his watch is), and a Ty Dolla $ign feature that isn't a detraction, but hardly could be as exciting as the collaboration he grabbed on his previous single. I can't really remember hearing any excitement anywhere about this song, and so I have one final point of damnation: I probably like this song more than you do.

Maybe that's what it comes down to. I've always had a soft spot for this comfort meal in a way that's felt a little irrational over the years. It's all a great pairing between Post Malone's flow and the tidy, non-invasive beat. I've also always found Ty Dolla $ign to be an underrated guest rapper. Admittedly most of the discourse I see in that territory is from people whose reluctance for rap verses probably rivals Coles radio, but I can't think of a song he's made worse by being on it, even when he's working with some of the best. Easy to forget that he will show up on this list again, for now I'm only just noticing that he references Ice Cube's "It Was A Good Day" in his verse. A fun nod to the past.

The fact that supposedly enough people drew the same conclusion as me and then some? It's almost unfathomable. Maybe everyone just really loves that pre-chorus wailing he does. The monumental success of "I Fall Apart" at the same time has to support this idea.

#562. Major Lazer (feat Wild Belle) - Be Together (#98, 2015)

58th of 2015

I've known about Major Lazer since back when I was still in high school. It feels longer than it is but I'm trusting release dates to be sure. Very easy to remember though, the name gets spoken in the songs like a producer tag, the gun-toting cartoon mascot is very memorable, and most importantly of all, they made some of the most annoying songs I had the displeasure of hearing on the radio at the time.

There are two notable moments in time when I realised that the Major Lazer brand was much bigger than I ever would have guessed. Technically three if we count the time in 2011 when a very noteworthy American pop star sampled their song "Pon De Floor", but if anything the reaction to that was a reminder of how clearly Major Lazer were not primed for the big time (I will readily defend that single but it's hard to do it now when I'm still putting the artist on embargo). So really the first time was when they teamed up with a Dirty Projector and had a hit song in "Get Free". They went from having nothing on the Hottest 100 to landing at #6, beating the likes of Tame Impala & Frank Ocean.

The second instance was obviously everything that happened in 2015. There's a big elephant in this room, but for the time being, I want to look at what it did just for Major Lazer. I think in hindsight you might look at it as a fluke, one that promises as much investment in the artist as a "Cheerleader" or "Bills". Major Lazer might only be a bit part in that anyway, like MK jumping on the Chrystal hype train to get his biggest hit three decades into his career.

With all that in mind, I've got to hand it to Major Lazer because I think they rode that unexpected breakthrough considerably better than anyone would expect. There's no chance you can call them a one hit wonder because they had another massive hit a year later, thanks to the lucrative Justin Bieber feature on "Cold Water" (maybe that's a better example than MK). It's actually their highest charting single in the US, and over here it became a second #1 hit, stealing the thunder from Illy's "Papercuts" (#857) right when it looked primed to get there itself. They also notched up some smaller hits along the way which is how we arrive with "Be Together".

I mean this in the nicest way possible when I say that "Be Together" does not get off the ground with that heightened exposure. I do think it's a good song and worthwhile to have around, but it felt like a very generous meeting of worlds between triple j and the ARIA Charts. As far as I can tell looking back, it only really made it to #33 in Australia thanks to being discounted and promoted on the iTunes Store. It also had an 'Australazer' remix EP with only Australian producers at the helm. It's got some names we've seen here like L D R U (#817), Carmada (#855) & Mashd N Kutcher (#799), and that EP came out on the very same week it debuted on the ARIA Chart.

All in all, it's prime material for just barely making the Hottest 100. A nice bit of recognition for an underrated cut that also whispers in your ear to remember that the main event is definitely going to arrive later that day. You can pretend that many of these songs at least have a chance to go for the top spot, but absolutely no one is surprised when "Be Together" doesn't do it. I will also now acknowledge that this is the song that got switched on airdate with "Twilight Driving" (#618). My preference there has always been clear, but not distant.

What I found with this album was an interesting twist on the Major Lazer formula. We were a fair way removed from their dancehall roots, but you could see the steps that got us there. I want to say that there's some influence from the collaborators (Wild Belle have a writing credit here) but I can't really find this vibe in their discography. I'd actually say they sound more dancehall influenced than Major Lazer at times. Oh yeah, Wild Belle is a duo, I'm not sure I knew that before now.

It's a meeting of minds with inclement positive implications. While Major Lazer's other hits invoke daytime (especially "Light It Up"), this is night music if I've ever heard it. The synths and electric guitar bring a hostile energy that Natalie Bergman can only fight back against. She was only in her mid-20s at the time but there's a husky weariness to her delivery that gives the song a lot of character. Not to be dismissed as just another one.

#561. Peking Duk & AlunaGeorge - Fake Magic (#12, 2017)

53rd of 2017

Sam Littlemore is probably one of the most underrated hitmakers in this country. His younger brother Nick is probably more recognisable thanks to Empire Of The Sun and The Sleepy Jackson, but Sam has racked up a very impressive stack of credits. Beyond the obvious stuff with Pnau, he's attached to the biggest hits of The Potbelleez, Tonite Alive, Parachute Youth and more. Or if you really want a shock, he even worked on Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For?". One of his biggest boons and a member of that 'and more' club is Peking Duk. Half of their Hottest 100 entries were worked on with him, and that includes The Big One, as well as this presently relevant one.

Sometimes I wonder if it's better to work with a relatively unknown name rather than an artist with a degree of infamy who otherwise doesn't generally crack the charts. It can feel like there's a karmic force pulling them to their usual standing because the fun of 'such and such artist can finally get a hit' just feels too easy. Often times this isn't actually true, and it's not true here either, but it was a smaller than usual hit for Peking Duk, while being a larger than usual hit for AlunaGeorge.

AlunaGeorge had been around for a decent while at this point, with two albums under their belt. They actually did have a Hottest 100 hit prior to this, and an ARIA top 50 hit, both with different producers who will eventually appear in this list. My main feeling at the time was with their second album "I Remember" where they seemed to have some minor chart credentials, generating two ARIA top 100 singles in a row, but couldn't come close to converting it into Hottest 100 votes. All they had to show for a whole year of steady airplay was the title track (which was co-produced by Flume) landing at #157. I really liked all those singles they put out that year but the voters just weren't biting.

Peking Duk came to the rescue evidently, and they managed a very strong finish in a year where the newer single "Let You Down" (#902) might have been snatching votes from it. If Gang Of Youths were able to share a little bit that year, maybe this could have snuck into the top 10 as well, though as it stands, Peking Duk have a very pleasing symmetry with their Hottest 100 & ARIA top 10s being the same three songs.

The song this reminds me the most of is "The Trouble With Us" (#946). Both are ostensibly dance records that utilise what could be described as a funky guitar as their most prominent instrument. Oh, you wanted a big bass blast for your drop? Sorry, you're getting two guitars and some horns instead. On the surface it's a short and repetitive song, but they actually run through the chorus in a slightly different way each time, with that aforementioned horn flourish on the last one being the big highlight here. I'm not certain where this one lands in the world of collaborations with singers and maybe the band as well, but at the very least, Aluna and George both have a writing credit. If you're still willing to buy into the 50% Australian content quota rule, then it sure is convenient that Peking Duk found another international duo in 2017. I really want to imagine them having a laugh about it.