Top 10 to check out

To point you in the direction of some foolproof hits, we’ve rounded up some of this year’s must-listen releases. Is this a comprehensive list of every great local track to drop in 2023? Definitely not. But it is a good starting point and proof of the sheer breadth of talent coming out of the country right now. We’ll be updating the list as the year goes on, so check back to hear more of Australia’s best new tunes.

We thought Pania’s 2022 breakthrough single Tiki was a hole in one, but it feels like she’s reached another level entirely with P Stands For Playa. The Melbourne R&B sensation’s first single of 2023 is soulful, melt-in-your-mouth music that demands repeat listens. It’s a softer side to what we’ve seen from Pania before – she says this one is inspired by Sade, and it shows – but we love the vulnerability. It already feels destined to go down as one of the biggest local tracks of the year.

How could we ignore the return of OneFour? Australia’s biggest drill act are back — and they’ve got Lekks with them after a three year hiatus from the group. Commas is a bit lighter and peppier than a lot of other OneFour cuts, but we’re not mad about it.

1300 have always been in a lane of their own, combining the swagger of Soundcloud rap with the high-gloss sheen of Korean hip-hop. On Steve Jobs, their team up with Kwame, the Korean-Australian five piece have crafted one of their most breezily addictive cuts yet. And this being 1300, they’ve capped it off with another slick, cinematic video clip that goes the extra mile. Still the coolest crew out there.

There’s a depth and darkness to the OPPBOYZ mixtape that feels different to everything else in the scene right now. Rising Sydney wordsmith Dxnvdre and producer Sollyy (who you’ll know from his 2022 single Apply the Pressure, the beat for 1300’s recent single Cardio and his work throwing Sydney’s Hotter Out West parties) paired up to deliver an eight-track release that doesn’t falter once. Our pick of the bunch is No Cinema, which spotlights Dxnvdre’s whip-fast rhymes.

To spend a little more time with the biggest names in Australian hip-hop, watch them test their music knowledge on Red Bull Rap Royale. Dive in below.