"Does Svala's "Paper" have what it takes for Iceland to make the cut to this year's Eurovision final?
It's been stated here many a time, but Iceland is one of my favorite nations to root for in the Eurovision Song Contest, even though nothing's quite measured up to 2014's stellar "No Prejudice" from Pollaponk in my eyes. That's one place where that seems to be aligned with the rest of Europe. Iceland has just missed the finals every year since then, even with last year's "Hear Them Calling", which I thought had a great live presentation.
It feels like the last few years, the songs Iceland has sent have been all chorus, no verse, which leaves them feeling a little thin when compared to the field as a whole. Does Svala's "Paper" have what it takes to at least get them back in the final?
https://play.spotify.com/track/6g1v2Cw2gejBa4qRQM3QKm
From what I've heard of the Eurovision field as a whole this year, I really dig this song - there's an icy coolness from the backing and Svala's vocals that helps it stand out. The whole song has sort of a CHVRCHES vibe, which is more than welcome by me, and its rhythm feels both like what's been going on in the past year of music trends AND what's happening going forward.
What's tripped Iceland up the few years, though, does still seem to be the case here. This feels like a lot of chorus, not a lot of verse. Unlike the last few entries, Svala seems to have the presence to pull it off. I could easily see this song performed by someone like Kylie Minogue. Hopefully the stage presentation of this matches the vibe of the video and brings things to a slightly avant-garde place to help Iceland stand even further out from the pack."