Triple j’s annual Aus music month is wrapping up for another year, which means it’s time for the beloved broadcaster to announce the winners of the 2018 J Awards.

The prized gongs were given out at an event at Melbourne’s Howler bar this arvo and saw the prized trophy of triple j Australian Album of the Year going to the scintillating debut LP from Sydney’s Middle Kids.

The winning album Lost Friends dropped in May this year and was described by triple j music Music director Nick Findlay as “a rich sonic palette that traverses anthemic rock, alt-country and bitter sweet indie ballads.”

It’s a huge vote of confidence for the comparatively new outfit, especially considering the big guns they were up against including Courtney Barnett, Tash Sultana, and Camp Cope, who all released stellar LPs in 2018. If you’re yet to dive in to Middle Kids, you can’t go past their thumping single from earlier in the year ‘On My Knees’:

Elsewhere at the J Awards, recently departed Indigenous artist Gurrumul was posthumously awarded the Double J Artist of the Year for both his final album Djarimirri (Child Of The Rainbow) and the truly beautiful and touching documentary on his life, Gurrumul and young Sydney rapper Kwame finished up a huge year by taking out the Unearthed Artist of the Year award.

Finally, the Australian Music Video of the Year went to Mojo Juju and the clip for ‘Native Tongue’ directed by Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore which “explores her Wiradjuri and Filipino heritage, and themes of identity, displacement, and belonging.”

Congrats to all the legends for making such dang good music.

J Award Winners 2018

triple j Australian Album of the Year

WINNER
Middle Kids, Lost Friends

NOMINEES
Amy Shark, Love Monster
Camp Cope, How to Socialise & Make Friends
Courtney Barnett, Tell Me How You Really Feel
DMA’S, For Now
Hockey Dad, Blend Inn
Ocean Alley, Chiaroscuro
Polaris, The Mortal Coil
RÜFÜS DU SOL, Solace
Tash Sultana, Flow State

Double J Artist of the Year

WINNER
Gurrumul

NOMINEES
John Butler Trio
Mojo Juju
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
Sampa the Great

Unearthed Artist of the Year

WINNER
Kwame

NOMINEES
Angie McMahon
G Flip
Kian
Slowly Slowly

Australian Music Video of the Year, co-presented by Rage

WINNER
Mojo Juju ‘Native Tongue’ Director: Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore

NOMINEES
B Wise ‘Feel Something’ —  Director: JÁEN Collective
DZ Deathrays ‘Like People’ — Director: Guss Mallmann
Golden Vessel ‘Bigbright (feat. Elkkle, E^st & Duckwrth)’ — Director: Harry Deadman
Sampa The Great ‘Black Girl Magik (feat. Nicole Gumbe)’ — Director: Sanjay De Silva