"Latvia continues to experiment with electronic pop at Eurovision, selecting Triana Park's "Line" as their entry for Kyiv.
Finally, I get to take my turn to gush about Latvia's selection process Supernova. To put it into perspective: my favorite song so far of the 2017 selection season--Franco Franco's "Up"--didn't even make it out of the semi-final and I'm not mad. I don't know who convinced LTV to take a more experimental/college radio route in its approach to Eurovision entries, but I am here for it.
Case in point: this year's Supernova winner "Line" by the electronica group Triana Park. After five previous attempts((2008-2012)) to represent Latvia at Eurovision, the group finally found success with this track:
Similar to "Love Injected" and "Heartbeat", there's a slow build behind palpable restraint, eventually bursting through to a moment of rocking out. Although the lyrics are repetitive and not all that complex, the delivery reminds me of "Heads Will Roll" by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Also, since the band has been together for so long, they have a clearly developed aesthetic and stage presence that shines through in this performance.
I will be curious to see how Triana Park will heighten the performance for the stage in Kyiv. The performance above is actually pretty close to the studio version of the song, but I fear it could get swallowed up in a venue larger than the LTV studio. In the meantime, I'm hoping a kickass video will debut between now and May so we can see more of this group's aesthetic on display."