01) La Lana - TOOT - Yep I love this bop. Kinda underrated it at the time (though I think I gave it a couple points in a strong week) but DEFINITELY deserved to do better than 20th. I can’t say I love it as much as I used to earlier this year, it’s not on my repeat playlist anymore, but still a bop and it deserves to be in this second chance week.
02) ZESKULLZ, Tara Rautenbach - BOOT - We really could’ve left this song in TSC 388 but I mean at least now my comment gets to be published. At the time I said this sounds like what an algorithm would produce if it tried to make a TSC 5th placer but ironically it NQd after that so maybe I was wrong and it’s just what a bad artist would produce if they tried to make a bad song. There’s just not much of a song here it’s all in the production which like whatever I don’t care.
03) Låpsley - TOOT - I’m kinda leaning towards lol @ this even being here since it came 11th like 9 weeks ago but also it’s such a good song and I didn’t get to comment on it before so here we go - this song is STUNNING. I love Lapsley her voice is such so gorg and this song is gorg, the way it builds so flawlessly. This is excellence right here.
04) YUKIKA - TOOT - Speaking of excellence… YEP. This NQing was a borderline international outrage and crisis so I’m glad TSC has had the chance to rectify that this week. One of the most robbed entries of the year, and one of the best K-pop entries TSC has ever seen everything about this is stunning and yet a bop at the same time. So powerful.
05) Ruti - BOOT - There MUST be better Eoin songs that didn’t get top 10 surely?? Like her voice is the only good thing about this the rest of it is just a bore. Just when you think it might be good in the chorus that drop comes and ew ugly.
06) Fletcher - BOOT - I remember people talking about sending this last year and I didn’t care for it then, care for it even less now. It’s definitely a song of its time and that’s clearly demonstrated by the fact that she deleted the video herself and told the uploader of this very video to stop reuploading it too. It’s an OKAY song, but like, there’s definitely gonna be a lot better in this final.
07) Kelela - TOOT - Speaking of… hello TSC 416 winner? I did want to go for this myself but decided against it for reasons but I personally did this so dirty back when it was originally sent and the only consolation here is that so did a lot of TSC and we now have the chance to put that right. This is literally so good probably my fave Kelela song I’ve listened to this SO much since it was originally sent. Excellence.
08) Chappell Roan - SHOOT -
Thinking about how this is the best song of the year inside TSC and out of it and how even though I’ve listened to this at least 300 times it hasn’t aged a single day and how I could write an entire essay about the sheer power, force, strength, talent, uniqueness and EXCELLENCE this song exudes but I’m not sure Tengaged would ever work in the same way again like if I really spoke about how much I LOVE this song the server would crash and we’d be forced to move to Discor- oh shit maybe I should.
Have you ever been struck by lightning? Chappell Roan’s electrifying Pink Pony Club, a song about self discovery, will make you feel like 300 lightning bolts are simultaneously striking the very ground you walk upon. With its classy piano introduction that gradually builds into the explosive pop chorus, Pink Pony Club is 4 minutes and 18 seconds of sheer auditory bliss further accentuated by Chappell Roan’s stunning vocal. She is the mother I never had, she is the sister everybody would want. She is the friend everybody deserves. She replied to my Instagram story once. I don’t know a better person. Stream California also.
In conclusion, I’m gonna keep on dancing at the Pink Pony Club, and so should YOU.
09) LEPATRIINU - TOOT - Yeah I think I just had a bit of an out of body experience but that just happens when I listen to Pink Pony Club that cannot be helped. This definitely deserves a shot at redemption since it came top 5 in ESCT after TSC. Her voice is grating but I’ve definitely got used to it with the multiple listens since then, and the rest of it is super cute. Great chorus, maybe better in an ESCT Estonia context than TSC second chances but I do still enjoy it.
10) Rina Sawayama - TOOT - I mean… it’s not Alterlife… but it’s the second best thing. I think like Kelela even I did this one dirty back when it was sent but here we are I’m about to right all my past wrongs. This is just pop excellence I definitely prefer her older music to the new Sawayama album but I know that’s just me and that’s okay. This is still so good it sounds so fresh the production is so good she sounds so good it’s all so good.
11) Ravyn Lenae - TOOT - This week has been SO good like we need to do second chances every year if there are gems like THIS that we robbed the first time around. I do vaguely remember this being in TSC before and liking it but I do not remember it being THIS good like… hello excellence? This executes the retro sound SO well and it was before it was really back in the mainstream… mom. This was just 3 minutes 21 seconds of ear candy like it’s so incredible? Maybe that sticky-icky is the potion idk I’m sold.
12) Hello Operator - BOOT - In an ordinary week this would be a toot but like let’s not pretend this stands a chance at getting points from me here. The POWER this song has though, it truly deserves a place in TSC history. Bibbles entering a song with a swear word in secret Bibbles no swearing week. <3 This was genuinely one of my favourite songs of that week though, mostly for that chorus. With this competition it doesn’t sound quite as good and I don’t really know how it’ll shape up, and I can’t see it doing better than its original result, but still its reputation remains.
13) Katie - BOOT - Oh I was SO into this until that chorus hit. The verses were really nice but the chorus just didn’t do it for me here. Idk maybe on a repeated listen I’d be more into it but here it just felt a bit clunky in the chorus and that killed it for me I’m so upset. I really should’ve liked this sorry Katie.
14) MARINA & THE DIAMONDS - TOOT - Another toot but this is one of my fave Marina songs. This was a kinda lol entry at the time so seeing it in second chances is a little more lol but it IS a very good song that deserved top 10 anyway.
15) A R I Z O N A - TOOT - Waittt I was hating on this qualifying but listening again hello? The production on this is really solid and his voice is really soothing and relaxing to hear. This whole thing was really pretty and really nice in a different way to a lot of this week, it stands out to me. I would’ve preferred it to stay how it was for the first minute honestly but I wasn’t mad at this at all.
16) Kah-Lo - TOOT - Oh I love this queen. I remember not caring that much for this song when it was originally sent, I think there are better Kah-Lo songs, better 11th places and better Penny songs that could’ve been sent but this is still a good song. Feel like it might get a little lost in this week but it is good.
17) ROSALÍA - TOOT - This was in a strong week I think, probably would’ve top 10d in a weaker one. It’s not my fave Rosalía song but this has definitely grown on me over the last year or so. It’s chill in a way that’s executed pretty well. Not sure how it’ll shape up for me across the whole week, but I like it.
18) Lucia Fernanda - TOOT - LMAO and then Lucia comes and blows Rosalía out of the park. I mean sending a song that did pretty decently a few weeks ago is a bit lol but I’m willing to look past that for this BANGER because it really did deserve top 10. Spanish excellence I have no choice but to stan.
19) Of Monsters and Men - BOOT - I really don’t wanna have to listen to this AGAIN when I already know exactly what I’m gonna say but this was only sent in TSC 391 so if you wanna know what I think you can just go back and look because I’m pretty sure I wrote like an essay then and my opinion hasn’t changed. Can’t we just let Rick NQ for a change??
20) Little Nikki - BOOT - LMAO this was so cheap. I was living a bit but I’ve tooted almost everything so I had to draw the line somewhere. It was kinda too all over the place for me like there was always SO MUCH going on I needed it to stop and give me a break.
21) Natalia Kills - TOOT - I love this queen, I wasn’t really expecting to like this as much as I did but I was pleasantly surprised. The chorus takes a bit of getting used to but I did really enjoy this actually. Fierce.
22) Booty Luv - BOOT - Goes down a similar road to Little Nikki, this one’s a bit more polished but also felt a little too restrained? Which I know contradicts my Little Nikki comment but between them they go too far on opposite sides of the spectrum for trash pop like this. Would probably love it at the time if I’d known it but I don’t have the nostalgia to push it through.
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NQ) Orange Caramel - TOOT - Well this deserved to be in the final I will tell you all that! I’m not sure I liked it that much in its original contest but it’s definitely more my thing now. A cute K-pop song without being too cute, and has some pretty iconic moments too. Not in love with the verses, but it’s super pleasant and fun anyway.
NQ) NK - BOOT - Hated this one at the time so I’m sure it’s no surprise to Scott that this is a boot again.
NQ) Alice Merton - TOOT - This is a hot take TSC isn’t ready for but I’ve always thought this song was massively superior to No Roots which was like fine I guess. Just really fun and strong and it’s a bop, robbed it deserved to be in the final.
NQ) Dynoro & Ina Wroldsen - TOOT - Didn’t care for this at the time but as far as Ina’s dance pop songs go I think this is one of my favourites actually. There are probably better 11th places and there are definitely better eligible QueenM1chelle entries out there but I do still quite like this song. Solid, but at the end of the day probably wouldn’t have made it into my final top 10.
NQ) POWERWOLF - BOOT - There was just too much flavour this week for me to even pretend to humour this, but good for the people it’s aimed at!
NQ) Wonder Girls - TOOT - Robbed! This was super cute, such a smooth listen. I was kinda hoping it’d do more based on previous songs of theirs that I’ve heard but it was still lovely. Like the vibe of the verses more than anything else, but it’s a smooth, nice listen.
NQ) U.S. Girls - TOOT - I’d say I can’t believe TSC let this flop AGAIN but… it’s TSC I really can believe y’all let this flop again and I AM Mad As Hell about it! This is so good I’m so glad it’s in this week though. I love her voice and the whole retro vibe while still somehow feeling so current. Excellence.
NQ) Emily Warren - BOOT - There’s no way someone actually thought THIS deserved a second chance like what did you think it was gonna achieve? This is random.org at work.
NQ) Vanessa Quai - BOOT - Yeah okay she was fun at the time but now she’s in the company of actual excellence so she can stay out of the final. Maybe try again in best of or whatever.
NQ) IAMWARFACE - TOOT - I actually did kinda like this at the time, the general sound of it is really well executed and I’d say this is on the upper end of the scale for this kind of rock music. Parts of it are really good, other parts, not so much, but I am still enjoying it. Not sure if it would’ve got points in the final, but I do like that this is here.
NQ) FKA twigs - TOOT - Oh hello excellence this is one of the best FKA twigs songs I cannot BELIEVE she’s never got top 10. Actually I can because like… TSC. It’s ok Brad you know I can treat your songs better than the rest of these horrible people and this is EXCELLENCE. Love love love.
