To date, there have been 1,758 entries in the Eurovision Song Contest history. As Eurofans, we may only know these artists from one or two songs, but every artist that has performed at the contest has an extensive backlog. This series, Beyond Eurovision, aims to shine a light on some of the That Eurovision Site team’s favourite Eurovision artists’ discographies. Today, we look at Sudden Lights, who represented Latvia at Eurovision 2023.
Who are Sudden Lights?
Sudden Lights are a four-piece indie rock group from Latvia. They are made up of Andrejs Reinis Zitmanis (vocalist), Mārtiņš Matīss Zemītis (drummer), Kārlis Matīss Zitmanis (guitarist), and Kārlis Vārtiņš (bassist). The group entered Supernova 2018, the Latvian Eurovision selection, with the song “Just Fine” which placed second behind eventual representative Laura Rizzotto. They returned to Supernova five years later with the song “Aijā” which won the selection and went to Eurovision 2023. In Liverpool, they unfortunately just missed out on the grand final, finishing in 11th place in the first semi-final with 34 points from the televote.
Era 1: “Priekšpilsētas”
You can split Sudden Lights’ musical career into four eras, roughly coinciding with their album releases. The first of these coincides with their first album, “Priekšpilsētas” (suburbs). This album is half in English and half in Latvian. Personally, it is my least favourite of their three albums, solely because you can see their experience in their later stuff. It’s still a great album. I was lucky enough to be at their show in London earlier this year where they performed quite a few of the songs from it. One of these is “Wanderer” – a song that has really clicked for me recently, as someone about to graduate from university and head into the uncertainty of the real world. I feel the relatively soothing instrumental contrasts the uncertainty expressed within the lyrics, aiding the idea of being a “wanderer”.
Era 2: Vislabak Ir Tur, Kur Manis Nav
The second “era” of Sudden Lights coincides with their second album, “Vislabāk Ir Tur, Kur Manis Nav” (It’s best where I’m not). Musically, it’s a lot more experimental sounding than their other albums, but it is my personal favourite. Firstly, all the instrumentals on the album are incredible across the board, scratching all the right parts of my brain. In this section, I’m going to highlight two songs, “Dzīvnieks” (Animal) and “Vakuums” (Vacuum). I’ve chosen these two songs in particular as they are my two favourites from the album. “Dzīvnieks” has an absolutely phenomenal instrumental. I love the moment after the final chorus where Andrejs’ vocals sort of melts into the instrumental. “Vakuums” features the deep lyricism prevalent in many other Sudden Lights songs. Its chorus translates to “You want more, but I’m already emptied out, the vacuum in my lungs tears me to a thousand pieces.” They rarely play songs from this album anymore, so if you’re reading this Sudden Lights, please bring them back. Paldies.
Era 3: Miljards Vasaru
“Miljards Vasaru” (A Billion Summers) is their most recent album. As the album title suggests, the album has quite a summery vibe. Personally, my favourite thing about the album is its contrast. On the one hand, you have upbeat numbers like “Siltas vasaras ēnā” (In the shadow of the warm summer) and “Elektriskā Gaisma” (Electric lights). At the same time, there are hauntingly beautiful songs like “Saules noburtā” (Sun’s enchanted) and the title track “Miljards Vasaru”. However, the song I’m going to highlight from the album is “Laternas” (Lanterns). It was the last song at both Sudden Lights gigs I’ve been to and it works so well in that role. For me, I think it’s the culmination of all of Sudden Lights’ strengths as a group. It’s anthemic, fun, a great instrumental and such meaningful lyrics. The chorus translates to “But if it becomes too dark for you, We’ll be lanterns in the darkest night, This winter will be warm, Don’t be afraid even if this is a dream”. This message of hope and optimism in the face of adversity works well at the end of a concert, with the stripped-back instrumental for the final chorus.
Era 4: Eurovision, and beyond
The song that most Eurovision fans will know Sudden Lights from is “Aijā”, which placed 11th in the first semi-final in Liverpool last year. Have I gotten over them missing the final yet? Debatable. But, what have Sudden Lights been up to since then? A lot, actually. Their first post-Eurovision single was a song called “Mēs Turpināmies” (we continue), an energetic, upbeat number that has been the opener at both Sudden Lights concerts I’ve been to (and a very good one at that). They performed their largest concert to date at Mežaparks Zaļais Teātris in September, a show that I was lucky enough to be at and still think about daily (it was genuinely the best night of my life). They also released “Ataust rīts” (in the morning) a collaboration with fellow Latvian Eurovision alum Aminata.
However, my personal favourite of Sudden Lights’ post-Eurovision songs is “Eastern European Dream”. It feels both like a slight departure from their style but also something quintessentially them. It carries an important message, talking about the anxieties of young people living in the Baltic states, just wanting to be free. If you like what you see, then you’re in luck. Sudden Lights will release “nejauši kadri” (random shots) on the 19th June, the first single off their fourth album that will arrive sometime next year. They have also recently announced a European tour for this autumn, where they will visit (as of the time of writing) Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and the UK.
Why You Should Check Them Out
So, why should you check out Sudden Lights? Well, if you’re a fan of indie rock, Sudden Lights do that and do that very, very well. They’re able to mix deep, meaningful lyrics effortlessly with phenomenal instrumentals. On top of that, they are such incredible, charismatic performers. If you have the chance to see them live, I would highly recommend it. I’ve been fortunate enough to see them live twice and meet them both times and they are such nice guys too. So, if you’re a fan of indie rock, I could not possibly recommend Sudden Lights more.
What do you think of Sudden Lights’ discography? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all your Eurovision news!
Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming / EBU
Rory Gannon