Nicole Parnis January 6, 2020
That’s A Wrap! Nicole Parnis’ Top 10 Tracks of the Past Decade by Maltese Artists
Cor blimey, the tennies have been good to us! It’s been a phenomenal decade for Maltese music, if you look past a Eurovision flop or ten. We’ve come along in leaps and bounds on the festival front, but we all know the indie scene was were it really kicked off.
Now this is by no means of an official countdown, or a countdown for that matter. But here it is, my top ten absolute favourite tunes from Maltese bands and solo artists from the past decade, based solely on my most-listened-to. Happy New Year and here’s to the twenties, you alternative lovelies, you.
1. ‘Temenza’ – Plato’s Dream Machine
‘Fidi’ and ‘Paraliżi’ off PDM’s stellar album ĠUF are up there, but this has got to be on everyone’s list, surely. A riff Bloc Party would be more than proud of, moody Maltese lyrics and some bongos and maracas thrown in for good measure. What’s not to love.
2. ‘Femmetastic’ – Fuzzhoneys
The second half of the decade saw fourth-wave feminism come up er…Trumps, and Fuzzhoneys were there to document it in their special blend of 70s-infused rawness, inspiring us to be ourselves and let it all hang out—short skirt or not.
3. ‘Too Young’ – The Shh
Beangrowers’ Alison and Ian’s chilled keyboardy offshoot gives off all the summertime sadness vibes in this mellow surfy number with the catchiest of choruses. A “background to your coming-of-age lifestory” tune.
4. ‘Damaged’ – Cryptic Street (ĠENN)
An absolute riot. From the kickass hardcore girlband now aptly called ĠENN, ‘Damaged’ is a screamy shouty ode to being young, angsty and achingly cool. We can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next.
5. ‘Leaves’ – Beesqueeze
Beesqueeze’s alterdelic offerings have been the soundtrack to hazy summers, and ‘Mistake’ and ‘Complain’ will always bring back memories of beach parties and crowd surfing, but it’s grunge anthem ‘Leaves’ which will stick with me forever.
6. ‘NSKY’ – CRUX
An overlooked masterclass in electro, serving up 80s midnight driving feels. This might have gone under the radar just a tad but this is coming from a band who supported goddam ALPHAVILLE back in ‘17. More please.
7. ‘Don’t Fall Asleep’ – Sam Christie
It’s hard to choose a favourite Sam Christie song as they’re all equally stunning, but this heart-wrenching folky beauty tops the list. We see great things on the horizon for the local lad.
8. ‘She’s Like The Sun’ – The Velts
A fucking banger. No way of getting around it. We’re glad the boys have progressed onto psychedelic masterpieces like ‘Season of the Prey’, but this one’s 60s pop-rock perfection.
9. ‘Bag of Lies’ – Roża
A group of dandy looking indie kids come up with a song so exquisite that I think my jaw dropped when I first heard it. Lyrically, musically and vocally spot on, Bag of Lies’ well-placed swear word just gets better every time. Outstanding.
10. ‘Dance The Dance’ – Dolls For Idols
Unadulterated fun timez. What a tune! A club-night dance floor favourite—we’re mentally putting on our skinny jeans and Fred Perry polo shirts just thinking about it. Can we have a reunion in 2020, guys?
