Other Highlights
There is way too much music released every month to cover in-depth, but here are some of the best and biggest new tracks from other Eurovision artists:
LORD OF THE LOST x INFECTED RAIN – “Would You Walk With Me Through Hell?”
“OPVS NOIR Vol. 1” came out earlier this year, but Volume 2 is already around the corner. “Would You Walk With Me Through Hell?” sees Lord of the Lost work with Moldovan metal band Infected Rain. As you might expect, the end result is a song that goes hard, with some surprisingly melodic moments of downtime between the walls of sound.
Sébastien Tellier, Slayyyter, Nile Rodgers – “Thrill of the Night”
There are two collabs with megastars this month, and we kick off this double header with Sébastien Tellier. He managed to get disco legend Nile Rodgers (Chic, Daft Punk, Benjamin Ingrosso’s “Honey Boy”) on his song “Thrill of the Night”, an upbeat disco-y track. So far so normal, but that was not enough for Sébastien. We also get vocals from Slayyyter, an American pop vocalist who I just never expected to hear on a piece of music involving Tellier. But here we are and you know what? The end result is excellent.
Alan Walker, Steve Aoki, Lonely Club – “Welcome to Lonely Club”
For the last decade, Steve Aoki and Alan Walker have been among the biggest names in electronic music. Now they’ve started working together under the name Lonely Club, with “Welcome to Lonely Club” introducing us to their joint sound. And who gets the honour to do the vocals for this song? None other than KEiiNO’s Alexandra Rotan! With Lonely Club claiming to be a narrative-driven project, it is only fitting that this song feels like a cinematic opening for something grander. Consider me pleasantly surprised!
Manizha – “Море”
Manizha goes nautical this month with her new track “Море” (Sea), a song that is simultaneously melancholic and hopeful. Over the course of multiple posts on Instagram, Manizha notes that this song is a reminder of the strength and wisdom of nature, how it sometimes is necessary to become the sea, and the importance of being true to yourself.
NAVIBAND – “Proszę Przytul Mnie (Mamo)”
At the start of the year NAVIBAND treated us to a full album, and now they are back with some new music. Well, new-ish as the band honours some old musical traditions. Back in the ’50s and ’60s, songs often would get re-recorded in different languages and Naviband are doing the same thing as “Proszę Przytul Mnie (Mamo)” is “Мамо” in Polish, which already was “Mama” in Ukrainian. The song is still as sweet and nice as ever and I imagine your personal favourite depends on what language you understand best.
Mia Nicolai – “sharing space among the stars” (EP)
Giving us a sly reminder this month that she lives in Los Angeles these days is Mia Nicolai, as she sings about “sharing space among the stars” on her new EP. I previously wrote about opener “chasing lullabies“, and now have four more songs to share some thoughts about. “nothing compares to this feeling” is an upbeat, energetic track, while “spend the night” has a slight moody streak to it thanks to the echo-y production. “delicate heart” is a guitar-driven ballad that gives Mia the opportunity to show off her vocals. Finally, the title track got the lyric video treatment and has a suitably grand yet also somewhat unsettled feeling to it. This EP overall feels like it could be promising even better things to come, which is great news because it already my EP of the month!
Aliona Moon – “DORUL”
Meanwhile in the “folk meets a solid beat” section of the European music scene we run into Aliona Moon this month. “DORUL” (LONGING) has everything you could ask for from this sort of song. Strong vocals, a flute that goes as hard as possible, and a beat that gets you moving for the chorus.
Next page: Highlights from artists from across the Extended Eurovision Universe
Giwrgos Oiko