Another week comes to an end and that means it’s New Music Friday! So it’s time to share the best new releases from the Eurovision world, and they’re busier than ever as the door on the 2022 season closes. Over the following pages is everything you need to know for your weekend playlists!
Blind Channel – ‘Lifestyles of the Sick & Dangerous’ (Album)
Firstly on New Music Friday are Finland’s Eurovision 2021 rock sensations, Blind Channel. After scoring a continental hit with their Eurovision entry, ‘Dark Side’, Blind Channel wasted no time capitalising on their success with new music. So far the Finnish band have released, ‘Balboa’ and ‘We Are No Saints’ in 2021, and ‘Bad Idea’ and ‘Don’t Fix Me’ in 2022. In December 2021, they also announced the European Sick & Dangerous tour.
Ahead of tour the band have released the new album of the same name. This is their first with a major record label, after signing an international record deal with Century Media Records. Among the 11-track album is a nostalgic trip into pop-punk.
WRS, Andromache – ‘if you were alone’
One of the highlights of the contest are the friendships that are made along the way. During Eurovision rehearsals in Turin, Romania’s WRS and Cyprus’ Andromache formed a lasting bond. Over recent weeks the pair have teased a possible collaboration together. Recently on Greek TV the pair finally revealed new single, ‘if you were alone’. The anthem brings together a fusion of Latin rhythm with Greek strings.
When we met at the Eurovision rehearsals, he told me “I want to do a song together” and here we are a few days before the release! A wonderful person and artist!
Andromache, (Instagram)
S10, BLØF – ‘Laat Me Los’
After achieving The Netherlands’ best result with a Dutch language entry since 1998 in ‘Die Diepte’, S10 returns this week with another Dutch language song, ‘Laat Me Los’. Following on from her recent collaboration with good friend, Froukje, this time S10 is indulging in her dream music partnership. The legendary Dutch rock band, BLØF give this new single a soft croon to accompany the power of S10’s melodic range. Together they show maturity as they express how it feels to miss someone, while accepting the need to let go. Recently they performed a live version of the song.
Montaigne – ‘die b4 u’
Always a regular on New Music Friday, Australia’s Eurovision 2020 and 2021 artist, Montaigne returns this week with, ‘die b4 u’. Although the title sounds ominous, the song is about loving someone so much you can’t imagine being without them. Of course those familiar with Montaigne’s recent collaboration with Daði Freyr, will spot the vocoder effects and narrative storytelling that has a passing similarity. However it plays to Montaigne’s strengths, with the hyper-pop style, video game beats. Later this year Montaigne will release new ten-track album, ‘making it!’. Included on the album are, ‘die b4 u’, ‘make me feel so...’, ‘Now In (Space)‘ as well as the now infamous ‘JC Ultra‘, which was a potential Eurovision entry before ‘Technicolour‘ was eventually selected. To coincide with the album release, Montaigne will once more hit the road on a national tour.
The record is quite preoccupied with death and the cosmos, seemingly apocalyptic feelings and events, so the metaphor [of the monster] resonated. There was something about it that made me go: ‘that is me’. This particular monster Curtis created is kind of cute, bright, and colourful, because I think the record is sonically very colourful and playful. As fuelled as it is by anxiety and fear, it’s all dealt with a sort of f***ed sense of humour.
Montaigne
