Saturday Reject: Anina – The Young

“Loud and brash, with a big message that’ll turn off the old people.”

Tim: I said at the weekend that Norway’s final was somewhat disappointing; that’s true, but this, that got knocked out in heat 3, is an absolute cracker.

Tom: DRUMS.

Tim: Exactly. Cracker. There were a couple of times when I almost got turned off – the shouty opening, and the intro to the first chorus – but man, am glad I didn’t close that tab. Because as a pop song, that’s almost Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger material.

Tom: Now, that’s a bold claim. I reckon it’s got just as good a chorus as Stronger has – it’s just a shame about the intro into it and the rest of the verses. What’s with that ‘ooh’ part?

Tim: Well, alright, it’s not that good, but it is bloody impressive (and I quite like the ‘ooh’ part). It’s loud, brash and in your face, with a big message that’ll turn off the old people. It’s heavy on the instruments, and it’s got lights that seem bang on for the song. And most importantly, it’s brought by a singer who, while a tad shaky on the vocals when live, really does give it everything – so much that she seems to be on the verge of collapsing by the end of it. And that, I think, is a sign of a good song.

Tom: The studio version sells the song a lot better than her live performance – which perhaps means that it wasn’t the right choice for Eurovision. Cracking track, though.