EUROVISION 2019 REVIEW: ICELAND - Hatari - Hatrið mun sigra

Welcome back to my blog!

Today, we go to Iceland, who after a rocky past few years continued their Songvakeppnin format, selecting 'Hatrið mun sigra' by Hatari.

What I Like: This is fantastic. After last year's choice inevitably finishing in last place, Iceland took a risk and its really paying off. 'Hatrið mun sigra' plays on a dystopian narrative of the end of the world, and how that is easier to imagine than the end of capitalism, creating an apocolyptic aesthetic. Although you'd be fooled into believing that this is a joke entry with the BDSM costumes and dramatic performance this is no crazy, wacky entry that people may initially be lead to believe, this is no joke. It straddles the line between a comedic concept but also a really clever and thought provoking narrative which is executed to perfection.

I also love the androgyny within this group, gender roles are played with and switched up and I love that. The juxtaposition of Matthias and Klemens both vocally and visually plays into this and the blend of both of them surprisingly works very well. Every minor detail has been cleverly crafted and each member and performer has their own characteristics that individually fit into this storyline and project which is so interesting to follow. I urge you to watch some Hatari interviews online, because they are like no other. For example, their use of promoting their made up fizzy drink brand 'Soda Dream' while campaigning for the end of capitalism because its 'not a cheap task' is genius and I for one am LOVING this concept.

Also we need to take a moment to talk about the production on this one. One of the best instrumentals of the year. I love the pulsating rhythm which has an almost nostalgic 80s electropop feel brought into today, but with even more impact and bite than it's ever had, making for an expensive final product. If you're not a fan of the vocal, you'll probably like the production and vice versa, there's something for everyone to enjoy in this and I'm personally loving all of it.

What I Don't Like: I worry that a lot of people, especially in my country, are going to see 'Hatrið mun sigra' and say 'oh its those wacky Europeans again rofl!!!1!' and not get the context here. It is easy to find this off-putting but once you understand their concept and the reasoning behind the entry it starts to piece together really well. Anyway, that's nothing against Hatari but the uneducated audience, I just wanted to rant about that in advance because I already know that dumb people are about to misinterpret this one.

Prediction: If Iceland can't finally get back to the final with this one, then they're cursed and may as well give up. This has to be in the final and hopefully in the top 10. Those that love this will really love this and vote like crazy for it, and the new jury system should help more divisive entries such as this one. Grand final and potential top 5 placing for this one I think, its just such a risk that it can go either way!

Final Score: 10/10

Summary: Obviously I am gushing over this one. I adore when anyone decides to think outside of the box and create a concept and narrative we've never witnessed at before, and Hatari are the group to do just that this year. I'm really excited about this being in the contest and can't wait to see what they do next month.

Thank you for reading! Please leave a like on this post and check out my other blog posts. Also, feel free to follow me @ESCTBy for more Eurovision ramblings!