The entire Eurovision 2024 circus has just begun with rehearsals kicking off, but the contest itself is far from the only thing to be excited about. These are some of the busiest periods for music releases, and this year is no exception. So in this special, extra long edition of the monthly music round-up, you can expect to see: heavy guitars, wordplay, and an entire musical.
The 2023 entries
It’s almost the last dedicated hurrah for these amazing lot, and they are celebrating that with some amazing releases.
Aminata & Sudden Lights – “Ataust rīts”
“Ataust rīts” (Morning dawns), Aminata and Sudden Lights sing on their new collaboration. It’s a wonderfully groovy, hopeful sounding alt rock track on which Aminata’s and Andrejs’ voices blend beautifully. The personal highlight of the track is however that amazing guitar line. Aminata wrote the song, with her go-to producer JJ LUSH (also known for producing for “Eat Your Salad”, 5Miinust, Raum) taking care of production. Collab of the month!
Luke Black – “Winter Dahlia”
Luke Black shows up for the second month in a row, this time returning to the well of dark pop. “Winter Dahlia” will be sixth in the tracklist of the album “Chainsaws in Paradise,” which he is releasing next month. The song is inspired by Luke’s experience during London’s surprisingly hot summer of 2023, and the existential dread and worries that come along with realizing that climate change is getting more and more tangible. Luke wrote the track and co-produced it with friend and frequent producer Shurk (who also worked with Bambie Thug on “Last Summer (I Know What You Did)”).
Synapsyche – “The Last Dying Flame” feat. Chris Harms
Chris Harms of Lord of the Lost loves a collab, and this month he is showing up on the latest album by Italian dark-electro duo Synapsyche. “The Last Dying Flame” is a cut of Synapsyche’s album “ANTI” and is a pounding track that straddles the line between electro dance banger and something more akin to the metal you’d expect from something involving Lord of the Lost.
Käärijä – “Kot Kot”
Käärijä is having one hell of a night on “Kot Kot” (Cluck Cluck). “Kot Kot” is a bit of wordplay in this case based on the Finnish word jatkot, which means afterparty. The song leans more into the electronic and less in the rock inspired elements of Käärijä’s typical sound. Käärijä co-wrote it together with Sonny Kylä-Liuhala (“Ruoska”, “Huhhahhei”, Sini Sabotage), his regular writer-producer Aleksi Nurmi, and Aleksi’s co-producer Jurek (“Auto jää”, Alan Wake II soundtrack, Annti Tuisku).
MACE – “FUOCO DI PAGLIA (con Marco Mengoni, Frah Quintale, Gemitaiz)”
It’s a meeting of stars as MACE gets Italy’s two-time Eurovision representative Marco Mengoni on his new track “FUOCO DI PAGLIA” (STRAW FIRE), which also features Frah Quintale and Gemitaiz. Every artist brings their own unique sound to this track, which ends up taking from R&B, electronica, Italian pop, and more to create a truly eclectic mix. The track is produced by MACE, with lyrics by Marco Mengoni and the music by Marco Mengoni, Edoardo D’erme (Emma, Calcutta, Elisa), and Simone Benussi (Mengoni’s “In Città,” Rkomi, Venerus).
Next page: New releases from Eurovision winners
Giwrgos Oiko