01) Malou Prytz - Johnny can't even spell her name right. BAN HIM FROM EVER HOSTING AGAIN! I think a few weeks ago in the Skype chat I mentioned how this should be entered, but I never expected people to legitimately fight for it as if they were racing for a winning contender. Sure, it's a nice pop song, and I prefer it to I Do Me depending on the mood I'm in, but it's not *that* special.
02) Fergie - "Fergie has been entered to TSC once". We should have counted all her BEP appearances. I know this song tbh. The verses here are nothing special, but the build up into the first chorus is good. The chorus has great pacing as well. Not a bad selection.
03) King No-One - This sounds like an iAyeEye entry. I think this sound has been done better before (ie. OUTLYA), but I quite enjoy the chorus. I'm not sure if this is getting any points from me, but it was a pleasant listen alright.
04) Meduza, Becky Hill, Goodboys - Becky Hill has been quite underrated in TSC. I don't think this is her best, but it has a decent rhythm. The production on this feels extremely familiar. This should be completely up my alley, but it feels a bit tired. It feels like I've heard it all before.
05) Alle Farben & ILIRA - FUCK ILIRA.
06) Keri Hilson - Besting 19th shouldn't be a huge difficulty. Parts of this are nice, but it sounds a bit too dated for my liking, and not in a good way.
07) Cellar Door Moon Crow - Nearly everything about this is putting me off. The instruments aren't bad, but the vocal is dreadful. The chorus is extremely clunky and noisy. This is actually painful.
08) Foxes - Congrats on finding the last Foxes song with a music video that hasn't been entered. I was shocked when I discovered that about Body Talk last year! Anyways, this is far from Foxes' best, but her entire discography is excellent so we're still talking about a high-quality track. This could win lmao.
09) Duke Dumont, Zak Abel - I came across this while song searching. It starts off quite good, but fades into nothingness rather quickly. The chorus definitely brings it back to life. I just wish the verses had more texture and personality instead of relying on the same tired production that so many songs of this genre utilize over and over again, including song #4.
10) miss A - This feels like it was produced in 2009. Okay, it was released in 2013 so we're not talking about a new release here. I'm kind of... bored? This passed me by without leaving much of an impression whatsoever.
11) LOVA - Nice production. Clear vocal. The song is good but I just wanted something more. This week is failing to impress me so I want to be blown away by something spectacular, and this isn't fitting the criteria.
12) Hanne Mjøen - Fun fact this won WorldVision on the r/popheads subreddit. I don't think I prefer this to her last song which I didn't even give points to so that should tell you how I feel about this. I will point out that the chorus is quite good, and has an excellent electro-pop sound that I really dig. The problem is that the rest of the song sounds quite dull.
13) Chloe Lilac - This song makes me glad that summer is over.
14) Caroline Polachek - I've criticized some of this weeks songs for essentially "lacking personality", and not providing anything new. Now that can definitely be applied to this song as well, and that would be a completely valid critique, but I don't care. I'm willing to put all that aside because I REALLY LIKE THIS. Yes, I had it on my list, and I've been listening to it quite a bit lately. I just think it's such a chill track, and I love Caroline's vocal here. The transition from the verses to the pre-chorus is executed well, and the chorus delivers an additional little boost of energy that was needed. This song just makes me feel good. It feels lighthearted and care free. It's not trying to reinvent the wheel, so I'm able to enjoy it as a little piece of pop music in isolation from everything else. Also is it just me or does Caroline look a lot like Holly Allen from Big Brother in the music video lmao?
15) Destra - I feel like once you've heard one song from this Caribbean carnival genre, you've heard them all. It's fine, but I've heard better.
16) Simple Plan & State Champs - I quite enjoy Simple Plan's old music, so my expectations for this were pretty high. It doesn't completely live up for me, and it's not much of a departure from their typical sound either. They have better, but it's not bad.
17) Against The Current - This is giving me Echosmith vibes, but with a bit of edge. The chorus has a nice pop melody, while the verses are a lot more aggressive. I like that contrast a lot. Easily the best rock song of the week.
18) Cailin Russo & Chrissy Costanza - Ok it's kind of funny that this is from League of Legends, because I'm pretty sure the last LoL song to be entered was by Against The Current, who we just listened to. I was hoping for something along the lines of Legends Never Die (by Against The Current), but it didn't live up. The chorus is good, but the rest of the song is very much bland and void of personality.
19) DJ Snake, Sean Paul, Anitta - The only Fuego I know is by Eleni Foureira. I don't actively dislike Sean Paul, but his features shorten the amount of replays I give a song that he's featured on. But I don't think Sean Paul is the biggest problem here. This sounds pretty slow, and I'm just not into it as much as I was hoping to be.
20) BANKS - I was really hoping that The Fall would be the next song of hers to get entered. This isn't my favourite track from the album but I must admit that it stands out this week quite nicely. I'm sure certain people will shit on it but this could emerge as a surprise contender. The chorus is really strong.
21) Adam Jensen - This has a nice rock sound that I typically enjoy, though I don't love Adam's vocal here. It's fine, but we've definitely heard better songs of this type in the contest's history.
22) Betty Who - I can't put into words how little I care about Betty Who's music. She has one good song. That's it. This was more of the same from her: BORING.
23) Carlos Vara - Oh, I'm liking this. It has a strong beat and vocal. The 'holy shit I'm smashed' bridge is a little cringe-worthy, but the chorus saves it. Yup, the chorus is excellent, and easily the best part of the song.
24) Bishop Briggs - I was ready to completely write this off until it picked up at around the 0:25 mark. This is dark, edgy, avant-garde, and ultimately infectious. Easily her best song since Dream. WELL DONE.
25) Judah & the Lion - Meh. This really isn't my thing at all. Mediocre end to this week's contest.