NorthKid — “Someone”
Is it mean if I say that this is what I imagine an indie softboi band would sound like? The song’s not that bad overall: I welcome the set up of guitars, piano and drums, and the singer has a nice voice. The lyrics, however, are cloying and overly self-pitying. The singer looks like he’s about to start crying in the last few seconds, which is a bit much.

Subwoolfer — “Give That Wolf a Banana”
The talk of the town for this national selection, and the current favourites to win the ticket to Turin. There’s mystery (we don’t know who the two singers are due to their yellow wolf masks) and classic 2000s Eurovision zaniness. Beyond the gimmicks though, this is a memorable song which is modern enough musically and has lyrics which are deceptively simple and very easy to sing along to, with clear vocals guiding the way. The staging is pretty much Eurovision-ready (vocal effects aside), and manages to be tongue-in-cheek instead of outright silly.

Anna-Lisa Kumoji — “Queen Bees”
The jazzy, upbeat song of the pre-qualifiers. This is one of those tracks where I can appreciate the talent and craft, but really isn’t my thing. I’m sure Kumoji will have great stage presence and raise the roof with her vocals, but much as I’ve tried to acclimatise myself to songs like these, I don’t find much in them that keeps me coming back, and this one’s no exception I’m afraid.