This is probably the first year I made time to listen to all the FdC entries and I fully own that – historically this has been a selection I struggle with not because the songs aren’t good (they are) but because they’re generally representative of a musical landscape that is at large not for me – melodic, instrumental ballads and deconstructed pop ditties that I’m mostly unable to process as discrete tracks. I have loved several entries from Portugal over the years (most recently, O jardim, Telemóveis, and Saudade, saudade) and for ESC 2024, I made a point to listen to every single entry from every single national final, so it just had to happen.
I am happy that I did. I will freely admit that this year’s selection pleasantly surprised me. There’s variety and dynamism, and the lineup of artists is very interesting and eclectic. This would make for a great playlist if you’re looking for something laid back, emotive, and minimalistic – imagine a summer roadtrip down a country road by the sea shore. Much like with Serbia, this selection felt perhaps a bit too large, as well, with about 6 or so songs too many whose absence would not have affected the overall quality of the contest (to be fair, I find this to be the case with most national selections that feature 20+ entries save for Melodifestivalen perhaps). Did I spot a winner? Too early to call. But I definitely found a handful of competitive entries worth briefly discussing!
This might be my favorite track in FdC this year and I feel that Portugal should take a chance and send this. Not only would this break with a certain tradition of more pared back, contemplative, sad/emotional entries which we have sort of come to expect from Portugal (which is why last year’s entry, for what it was, still felt like such a breath of fresh air), but it legitimately slaps. I honestly can’t remember the last time Portugal sent a (prog) rock song to ESC, but beyond that, I just really love the beat here, the vocal, the peaks and valleys (that electric guitar solo? That dance bridge?), and the fact that this is essentially a song about getting a boner – “pelas costuras” means “at the seams” – and João here is literally singing about bursting at the seams because this is yet another song about fucking (I am starting to pick up a theme this year). This is ready to go.
No Maka feat. Ana Maria – Aceitar
This one’s a beautiful pop midtempo about accepting your saudade (sadness? Longing? Melancholy? Is there really a translation for this feeling?) after the end of a relationship. This came up late in the evening the first time I listened to it, and it made me tear up a little. The lyrics are simple and poignant (“What hurts is no longer here/Is it better this way? No matter how much time passes by, how far I move away/It is a part of me”), Ana Maria’s voice/tone conveys a real sense of sadness, and there is rhythmic clapping (I’m a sucker for clapping) on the backing track. This would also make for a great submission, if a slightly less original one compared to the song I discussed above. This one’s also ready to go.
This seems to be the nearly unanimous fandom pick. I would not be mad if this actually wins and gets to go – it is a very atmospheric Spanish guitar ballad about resilience that feels powerful and introspective. I really do love Iolanda’s vocal on it – it’s gritty and raw and the money note almost sounds like a primal scream – and the arrangement accompanies the beat very effectively. I find it somewhat less special than the other two tracks I discussed, and I wish it sort of built towards more of a climax towards the end, but I still rated it highly and I think it would do reasonably well at ESC (which, to be fair, applies to all three songs since they are rather jury-friendly). Really curious to see this live.
ESC Etc. 
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