Janice Mangion — “Army“
Weirdly militaristic track which starts off as a piano ballad before ominous beats take over for most of the rest of the song. I understand this is meant to be a metaphor, but it makes me feel uneasy given how many ways you could interpret this, especially given the overly-polarised nature of many European nations at the moment. Perhaps the part sung in Maltese provides some clarification, but on balance I think this is better left behind in the national selection.

Emma Muscat — “Out of Sight”
This is like an Italian song but in English — lots and lots of lyrics. Instead of a verse-chorus structure, it is comprised of two modes: softer and louder. The softer parts have a greater focus on the vocals, with a sparse arrangement, whereas the louder parts bring bigger beats and more dramatic vocals. It’s an interesting approach to songwriting, but there are so many words sung so quickly without obvious repetition that the track rushes by and I’m left with a blur of impressions rather than a clear message.