The Radar: This Week's Tunes You Need To Know – September 15

15 September 2023 | 10:45 am | Ellie Robinson

From bubblegum bangers to ripping rock, cruisy country and rousing rap, here are the tracks that should be on your radar for this week.

Sia

Sia (Supplied)

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Every Friday in The Radar, The Music breaks down the week’s top performers and the breaking new music you need to be across. 

DSPs

This week saw Sia make a massive comeback with the belting pop anthem Gimme Love – the lead single from her first studio album in eight years (and tenth overall), Reasonable Woman. Though a release date is yet to be set for the LP, the hype train is rolling at full steam, and Spotify are certainly onboard with Gimme Love topping this week’s New Music Friday playlist.

It’s ranked surprisingly low (at #16) on Apple Music’s own New Music Daily playlist, and this week there are just three songs that overlap between both spreads’ Top Tens: greedy by Tate McRae (#2 on Apple, #4 on Spotify), Balut by Doja Cat (#5 on Spotify, #7 on Apple) and Super-Vision by DICE (#5 on Apple, #6 on Spotify).

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The rest of Apple’s Top Ten has a pretty decent whack of Aussie rep – the #6, #8 and #9 spots go to Oliver Cronin (I Need You, which features Lil Xxel), Sara Berki (Favour) and C.O.F.F.I.N (City Sun), respectively – while Spotify’s list has HP Boyz’s RTR ranked high at #3.

Elsewhere in the headlining chunk of Spotify’s spread are the new tunes by Zara Larsson (On My Love), Diddy and French Montana (Another One Of Me, featuring The Weeknd and 21 Savage), Yumi Zouma (KPR), Bella Poarch and Lauv (Crush), and Mitski (My Love Mine All Mine). And over on Apple Music, the remaining Top Ten picks are set aside for TSHA’s Somebody, Teddy Swims’ Some Things I’ll Never Know, Madison Beer’s Sweet Relief and KiNG MALA’s never wanna know.

RADIO

This week saw just one new song added across the board (ATB) at the NOVA Network: Paul Russell’s viral hit Lil Boo Thang. Kylie Minogue’s Tension made it to the daytime rotation, though – as did Million Dollar Bill by Beyond Chicago, Majestic and Alex Mills – and Smallzy’s Surgery welcomed multiple songs from Olivia Rodrigo’s just-released GUTS album, as well as Adore U by Fred again.. and Obongjayar, and Prada by cassö, RAYE and D-Block Europe.

Meanwhile at KIIS, Single Soon by Selena Gomez was added ATB. Jessica Mauboy’s Give You Love (a joint effort with Jason Derulo) also made it to the drive rotation on all of the Hit Network’s stations, while The FOX in Melbourne added two new songs ATB: Year 3000 by Busted and the Jonas Brothers, and (It Goes Like) Nanana by Peggy Gou.

Surprising absolutely no-one, this week’s triple j feature album is Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS (and honestly, so it should be – not only is it leagues better than Rodrigo’s 2021 debut, SOUR, it’s one of the best pop albums of the last decade at least).

The national youth broadcaster made nine adds to their rotation ATB, with five being Australian: Juice Of The Sun by Babe Rainbow, Only 25 by Eliott, Slow Down by Jem Cassar-Daley, CFB by Open Till L8 and KAHUKX, and Magic by Skin On Skin. The remaining four tracks came from Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion (Bongos), Hot Milk (OVER YOUR DEAD BODY), Oliver Tree (Essence, featuring Super Computer) and the trio of cassö, RAYE and D-Block Europe (Prada).

Last but not least, triple j threw five new songs into the mix for their spot adds: Bella Amor’s play the part, Day1’s Arz-assisted In Ya City, Hannah Brewer’s Chill Girl, JAWNY’s Boy Scout and Last DinosaursAfterlife.

This week’s Radio Monitor Hot 50 has Dua Lipa back at #1 with Dance The Night, bumping Taylor Swift’s Cruel Summer down to #2. Rema held on to her #3 reign with Calm Down, too, while The Weeknd and Olivia Rodrigo also swapped places – the former’s Popular (which features Playboi Carti and Madonna) sits at #4 this week, and the latter’s vampire rounds out the Top Five.

It may have taken a hot minute, but Peggy Gou has finally made it to the Top 50 with Nanana, this week rolling in at #35. The only other chart debut is G Flip’s Good Enoughjuuuuuust scraping in at #50 – while returning entrants include Joylon Petch (with the Reigan-assisted Dreams at #40), Post Malone and Roddy Rich (Cooped Up at #41), Elton John and Dua Lipa (Cold Heart at #44), Sam Smith and Kim Petras (Unholy at #46), and Stephen Sanchez (Until I Found You at #49).

COUNTRY

Hear the big new country tunes of the week on the Countrytown Hot Country Hits Playlist.

Last week may have seen Spotify up their country rep on the New Music Friday playlist, but they’re back down to brass tacks this week with just two inclusions: The Tree by Marren Morris and World For You by Jaydin Shingleton. Both also made it onto Apple Music’s New Music Friday playlist, alongside a frankly quite unexpected 13 – yes, thirteen – other barnstormers. These are:

• Kingswood – God Already Knows
• Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham – Folded
• Lily Grace – Maybe So
• Josh Setterfield – Feelin’ Love
• Brothers Osborne – Who Says You Can’t Have Everything
• Dustin Lynch – Chevrolet (featuring Jelly Roll)
• Tanner Adell – Luke Combs
• Jeremy Edwards – Clear, Like A Bell (featuring Felicity Urquhart and Kevin Bennett)
• Madeline Merlo – Tim + Faith
• Sweet Talk – Warm Love
• Laura Frank – Hey Cowboy
• Paddy McHugh – 27 Weeks
• Sunny Luwe – Give A Little Bit Of Love

As for this week’s Countrytown Hot 50 chart, Travis Collins and The Wolfe Brothers have held on to their #1 spot with Runnin’ The Country, as have Ed Sheeran and Sera Berki with their respective #2 and #3 spots (Life Goes On and A Boy That’s Into Trucks). Jelly Roll’s Need A Favour has returned to the Top Five at #4, too, bumping Luke CombsFast Car down a spot from last week’s ranking.

Elsewhere on the chart, we have six new entries – Never Give Up On A Good Time by Casey Barnes at #23 (impressive!), Chasing Tornadoes by MacKenzie Porter at #42, Truck Bed by HARDY at #43, I Remember Everything by Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves at #47, and Save Me The Trouble by Bailey Zimmerman at #49 – and two songs returning: Corey Kent is back in at #38 with Wild As Her, while Zimmerman’s Fall In Love is back at #49.

Also worth applauding is Camille Trail’s massive leap up for her second week in the Hot 50 with Gotta Get To Know You, bolting 20 places up from #50 to #30.

Hear the big new tunes of the week now on The Music Hit List.
For the hottest rock, punk and metal jams, check out
Kill Your Stereo’s Heavy Hitlist.
And for the latest in hip-hop and EDM, get your ears around
Purple Sneakers’ Best New Music.