Monika Liu — “Sentimentai”
I think this is the first song so far not to be sung in English? It has a languid, soulful vibe about it while retaining enough pop elements to keep it accessible. However, it is a song that is no hurry to go anywhere in particular as Liu stretches out her notes and the music makes fairly minor shifts across the the three minutes. There are no dramatic moments, no reveals, no real change in pace. I suspect Liu has a good stage presence, because it’s the performance that will complete this otherwise relatively sleepy track, which ambles along pleasantly without making a huge play for your attention.

Rūta Loop — “Call Me From the Cold”
First thing to note here: Loop’s raspy voice is probably going to divide listeners, especially when they realise this is an electro-ballad and she’s not going to be overshadowed by the music at any point. Fortunately for me, I’m perfectly okay with this kind of vocal styling, and when this track eventually gets going musically in the second half, it seems appropriate that Loop’s vocals shift focus as well. Suddenly they’re a bit more confident, less withdrawn, slightly less ethereal. This could be thanks to the production team rather than Loop herself, but it sounds good nonetheless. I think this is my favourite so far from this heat.