RTRFM’s 100 Most Played Tracks of 2021
Whether it be spontaneous lockdowns, an AFL Grand Final or just the sheer craziness of our day-to-day lives, 2021 has been a year packed full of uncertainty. Yet, throughout the carnage that was 2021, RTRFM has provided a point of stability for all music lovers. And so now that the year has finally come to a close, we’ve crunched the numbers and spun together RTRFM’s most played tracks of 2021!
Approximately 81,000 tracks were played on RTRFM in 2021 and, as always, local artists prevailed with 67 percent of the top 100 played tracks arising from WA. With a total 85 percent of tracks from the top 100 coming from Australian-based artists.
17 out of the top 20 tracks came from WA-based artists, whilst Hiatus Kaiyote and Amyl & The Sniffers also featured in the top 20 as interstate acts.
Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen’s Like I Used To was the highest placing track from an international artist coming in at #19.
Female or gender non-confirming artists were once again dominant, with seven out of the top 10 tracks coming from female/female-fronted acts, whilst 63 per cent of all tracks came from female and gender non-conforming/diverse fronted artists.
Once again a massive thank you to Daniel Midgley for his statistical wizardry in compiling the list from a whole year of playlist data.
Check the full list below!
THE TOP 100 MOST PLAYED TRACKS OF 2021 AT RTRFM
1. Smol Fish – Sad Girl Summer 
2. Hiatus Kaiyote – Get Sun (feat. Arthur Verocai) 
3. Ghost Care – Kevin Garnett
4. Your Girl Pho – Co Star
5. Grace Sanders – CALLING MY MOTHER
6. Smol Fish – Like A Lemon
7. Gap Year – So Sad To See
8. Web Rumours – Human Commodity (We Like It)
9. Yawn Vibes – Stadium
10. Web Rumours – Moving On
11. Amyl & The Sniffers – Guided By Angels
12. Julia Wallace – Place In Mind
13. Myriad Sun – Hazard Waste
14. Cruz Patterson – Big Tings
15. Mt Mountain – Peregrination
16. Gap Year – We All Know
17. Ken Paolo and The Space Cadets – $4 Pizza
18. Claudie Joy & The Joy Boys – Honey
19. Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen – Like I Used To 
20. Anesu – Black Girl
21. Joan AS Police Woman, Tony Allen, Dave Okumu – Take Me To Your Leader
22. Methyl Ethel – Neon Cheap
23. Noname – Rainforest
24. Web Rumours – New Wave Heartache
25. Grace Sanders – Scrolling
26. Gia Como – Madeleine
27. Man Sandal – Can’t Mean Much
28. King Stingray – Get Me Out 
29. Princess Khanya – Summer
30. King Stingray – Milkumana
31. Arlo Parks – Too Good
32. No Nomad – Ghost
33. Mal De Mer – Gone Fishing
34. BOAT SHOW – Cheap Red
35. Drea – Sonder
36. Pond – Pink Lunettes
37. Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Out The Door
38. Tanya Ransom – Cyclone
39. Tkay Maidza – Where Is My Mind
40. Gap Year – Bon Soir
41. Sugar Wife – Born To Lose
42. Supathick – July (feat. Keely Britain & Adrian Dzvuke)
43. Yomi Ship – Ice Drake
44. Tanaya Harper – Bad Faith
45. Grace Sanders – Dissipate
46. June Jones – Motorcycle
47. Amyl & The Sniffers – Security
48. Aldous Harding – Old Peel
49. Nervous – Talk
50. Girl From Mars – Do What You Like
51. Pond – America’s Cup
52. Ruby May – Absentee feat. Hyclass
53. Dianas – Bliss
54. Ursula – Hot n Bothered
55. No Nomad – I Get Scared
56. BADBADNOTGOOD feat Karriem Riggins & Arthur Verocai – Beside April
57. Noah Dillon – Losing Touch
58. Little Simz – I Love You I Hate You
59. Shy Time – Akira
60. 30/70 – Tastes Like Freedom
61. Jaala – Workhorse
62. Courtney Barnett – Rae Street
63. People Taking Pictures – The Ultimate Nothing (feat. Cruz Patterson)
64. Greentea Peng – Nah It Ain’t The Same
65. HAIRCARE – Choir Boy
66. Jess Jocelyn – Something Good
67. Mod Con – Ammo
68. Cruz Patterson – Ground Up
69. Dennis Commetti – WAXIT
70. Hiatus Kaiyote – Red Room
71. Ausecuma Beats – Sallier
72. The Little Lord Street Band – High Beams
73. New Talk – Frida
74. Kamasi Washington – Sun Kissed Child
75. Goon Sax – In The Stone
76. Dolce Blue – Dream Catcher
77. Parnell March – Therapy
78. Lonesome Dove – Dreams
79. Racoo – Tower
80. Mei Saraswati – Comfort Shower
81. Park Hye Jin – Let’s Sing Let’s Dance
82. Siobhan Cotchin – The Fair-Weather Friend Blues
83. Durand Jones and The Indicators – Love Will Work It Out
84. Tirzah – Send Me
85. Little Simz feat. Cleo Sol – Woman
86. Nika Mo – The Devil’s Sooty Brother
87. Odlaw – We Love Playing In The City
88. Genesis Owusu – Gold Chains
89. Erika De Casier – Polite
90. King Ibis – I’m Not Your Mum
91. Jewel Owusu – Blue
92. FRITZ – Die Happily
93. Nerve Quakes – Dive Wreck
94. Miraud – Lavenda
95. Priscilla – Dance Through The Night
96. Anesu – Crown
97. Jacob Diamond – Bay Of Fleas
98. Little Simz – Introvert
99. Ngaiire – Closer
100. The Mackerels – Side Of The Road
