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Just as we were fearful that last year's winner would encourage a whole barrage of witless pub rockers to throw their hats into 2022's Eurovision ring, we also had a vague hope that one or two of the more interesting noisy acts from around the continent might be lured to chance their arm and have a bit of fun. And Eskimo Callboy have been right near the top of our wishlist for some years now.
An established act with hits across Europe, and a cult following that spreads even further, their seamless blend of Hi NRG pop and crushing metalcore is going to confuse the heck out of the regular punters ("Well I like the first bit, but why do they have to do all that horrible shouting?"), but their on stage presence is phenomenal and they're 100% on top of their schtick.
However, they're not without their potential problems. Their band name can be considered offensive in a number of competing countries. and they've been accused of misogynistic themes in some of their videos. However, their blending of Japanese popcore themes with that knowing knockabout German wink suggests that the latter is more of a slice of camp self-deprecation than anything more unpleasant. We hope.
They've taken the unusual step of announcing their candidacy before they were even announced by the German telly - hoping perhaps to force the producers' hand in picking them. A risky move, of course. But one that may could dividends. Although to be honest, Germany should just bin their entire competition and send them direkt til Torino. Because you just know that they're going to be beaten in a superfinal by some underdog pop girly who'll subsequently finish last-but-one.
So come on Germany, so the right thing! There's something for everyone in this song!
So that happened. I think that my problem with this is that as opposed to Little Big it lacks genuine substance. It feels gimmicky and childish instead of profound and subversive. They're undeniably German, but not in a good way... I'm not sold on this track, I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteAwesome. I've not heard of them before. I'd love to see them representing Germany!
ReplyDeleteThey're actually quite a big band across Europe, Rob. Most of their output is straight up metalcore. But they've increasingly gone a bit Scooter and have been mashing up the genres.
ReplyDeleteAnd yep, I see what you mean, Ido. They've got a track record of dumbassness, with some pretty wrong lyrical content early in their career. But I just kinda like the simple idea of the folks at home settling into some big old cheesy pop, before the massive beatdown hits them and their faces melt.