Liamoo "Bluffin" feels like this week's most modern pop song. It was clearly written with Eurovision in mind. It was obviously inspired by The Weeknd, with lots of falsetto singing and hooky drop in which Liamoo goes down a tone, so that it feels like the track has been slowed. It sounds a bit weird, but the effect is obviously there to make the song stand out. Markus Larsson says that there are some similarities to Kanye West's "Heartless". But what do I know.
Niello & Lisa Ajax' Hov1-style pop song has an effective chorus sung by Lisa Ajax sings, along with Niello's rapped parts. It feels like a very strange choice to put this song second in the running order. I look forward to seeing this on stage. This type of pop has often been staged to death on the Mello stage, for instance by Albin Johnsén. Maybe it will work better with Niello and Lisa. In any case, I'll put this in my playlist as soon as possible.
Samira Manners does guitar-driven pop in English, which almost sounds like what you would expect from Lisa Miskovsky in Mello 2022. But Lisa Miskovsky herself is competing in a later heat. English-language radio-friendly pop songs by unknown artist tend not to do particularly well in Mello, unless there very instantly catchy. Maybe it works when the song title is repeated so many times. But I'm a bit surprised that the chorus is so repetitive.
Alvaro Estrella is one of the strongest contestants in the line-up. "Suave" is an effective Latino pop pop that actually feels a little more Latino than Mello when compared to his previous entries. The chorus is effective and we know that Alvaro can put on a nice stage show. Maybe he could go straight to the final for the first time. I have a hard time digesting the poco loco rhymes, which make it sound a but cheap
@Strani But at the same time it's wonderfully fun.
Browsing Collection's song is happy punk with an attitude, which could appeal wider than just the rock audience. It comebines hardcore riffs with Avril Lavigne-style vocals a song about the world not getting enough of punk no matter what people say. It will be very fun to see this on stage to see if it could be a contender this week.
John Lundvik's "Änglavakt" feels like it was written by someone who is not used to writing lyrics in Swedish. He sings incredibly well, which means that he will be dangerous on Saturday. But I wonder if anyone paying attention to the lyrics will actually take this seriously. I have a hard time accepting that he actually sings "I will always be your angel guard". What does that even mean?
Tone Sekelius' "My Way" has all the potential to become a gay anthem, even if ends in the bottom 3 on Saturday. This song is corny and lovely at the same time, but maybe feels a bit old-fashioned in style. The composition is also very one-note, suggesting that Tone might not be the world's best live vocalist. And then it could be difficult to qualify any further on Saturday, even though I think it's wonderfully happy and some what gay-LGBTQ-ish.