Soundmerch has announced it's Australian Music Prize 2025 shortlist with nine albums competing for $50,000 prize this November.
SoundMerch Australian Music Prize has revealed its 2025 shortlist, with nine albums selected from 465 entries submitted since October last year.
Running for 21 years, Australian Music Prize stands as the country’s most prestigious music award, offering $50,000 to the winning artist. This year’s shortlist spans electronic, rock, folk and experimental genres, with strong Melbourne representation across the nominees. Judges worked through a three-stage process, listening to each album in full before narrowing selections down to the final nine.
SoundMerch Australian Music Prize 2025 Shortlist
- Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer
- Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time
- Floodlights – Underneath
- Mudrat – Social Cohesion
- Bleak Squad – Strange Love
- Tropical Fuck Storm – Fairyland Codex
- Ruby Gill – Some Kind Of Control
- Mia Wray – hi, it’s nice to meet me
- Divide & Dissolve – Insatiable
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Ninajirachi’s I Love My Computer makes the cut alongside Folk Bitch Trio’s (Melbourne) Now Would Be A Good Time and Floodlights’ (Melbourne) Underneath. Melbourne bands Mudrat, Bleak Squad and Tropical Fuck Storm also secured spots, with Mudrat describing Social Cohesion as documentation of protests and picket lines across the city. Tropical Fuck Storm members Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin previously won the inaugural prize 20 years ago with The Drones, while Bleak Squad’s Mick Turner was shortlisted last year with Dirty Three.
Ruby Gill received news of her nomination while driving through remote Western Australia during a year-long regional tour, calling the recognition meaningful as an independent migrant artist working without management or label support. Mia Wray noted the personal growth involved in creating hi, it’s nice to meet me, while Divide & Dissolve’s Takiaya expressed gratitude for the nomination of Insatiable.
Judges include established musicians, music retailers and media, each required to disclose any connections to eligible artists. Past winners and nominees include Troye Sivan, Genesis Owusu, Courtney Barnett and Amyl and the Sniffers.
Previous shortlisted artist Ryan Clapham from Dobby will host this year’s award ceremony, with the winner announced at a face-to-face judging session.
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