Review: “Montesong 2024” (Montenegro)

Montenegro will be the first country to choose its artist and song for Eurovision 2025 via a national selection.
“Montesong 2024” will be held on Wednesday the 27th of November 2024.
The results will be based on 50% jury (including international jury) and 50% public votes.

In this article, I will review the 16 competing songs in the national selection.
The songs will be covered in alphabetical order (of the artists):

#1. Anastasija Koprolčec – Kraj (Eng: End)

• It is a ballad that starts with keyboards playing. Anastasija sings in a mid-low tone of voice.
• The production suggests a semi-dark atmosphere. Additional instruments and echo sounds appear from time to time.
• The song features some Balkan elements that are implemented by wind instruments.
• The pre-chorus has a softer sound and singing. In the chorus, we get more of her vocal abilities.
• The song becomes more dramatic in its second half, there we also get some backing vocals. Towards the end, we get electronic guitar playing as well as modulation and some digital sound effects.
• Overall, a very decent song. It takes time until it becomes more impactful. Maybe shortening the first part would have helped.

#2.Baryak – Dva srca (Eng: Two Hearts)

• It is a rock song with some electronic elements.
• The song opens with an instrumental part and some effects. The lead singer sings in a mid-tone of voice with some huskiness.
• Later on, another vocalist with a thicker and lower tone of voice takes the lead.
• In the beginning, the melody is based on keyboards only, later on bass, electric guitar and drums are added.
• The chorus is more powerful with the throat voice, longer notes, and backing vocals. Electronic beats lead to the second part, which opens with a female vocalist. Later on, the melody is laid back and we can hear 2 male vocalists singing together. The song ends with a king of outcry,
• The experience is of late 1990 – early 2000’s rock bands.

#3. Bend “9” – Stop war

• It is a heavy metal song.
• The song opens with drums and bass playing. They roar the name of the song in the beginning.
• While the listener has no chance to realize what’s going on, it continues to the first verse.
• There is something disharmonic about the combination of vocals and melody.
• Most of the time, we can hear several vocalists together.
• The structure of the song is quite cyclic. Toward the end, we get a long instrumental part, featuring a guitar solo as well as an alarm sound.
• To sum up, I don’t enjoy listening to the song. It felt like they put too much effort, and not much thought.

#4. Dolce Hera – Repeat (Eng: Repeat)

• It is a jazz-pop song.
• The song opens with wind instruments playing, and gives us the atmosphere of pubs in the late evening. Dolce suggests a distinctive voice.
• The first chorus is slow, and the melody is based on wind instruments, keyboards, and some digital percussion elements.
• The chorus let me down, it is quite flat. Production has become a bit more instant, and I feel like the emphasis on the wind instruments hasn’t been done right.
• Later on, we get an additional verse, this time the beat is slightly faster.
• After the second chorus, we get a short instrumental part, composed of drums and trumpet.
• Overall, sounds like a nice pub-jam, but doesn’t really elevate me as a listener.

#5. Đurđa – To ljubav je (Eng: That’s Love)

• It is a lullaby ballad. The melody is based on keyboard playing.
• The song starts with a piano playing. Đurđa‘s singing is quite slow.
• The production includes xylophone and symphonic elements.
• The chorus is more like a waltz, and the symphonic string elements play a bigger role.
• Towards the end, we have 2 modulations, as expected.
• The song leaves a pleasant feeling on the listener. But it isn’t strong enough as a ballad. It’s a “small” and “intimate” song that can struggle on the big Eurovision stage.
  

#6. Glumci Bend – San

• It is a pop-rock song, with influence of the 1990’s music.
• The song opens with a dramatic intro, based on guitars and keyboard playing. The band members sing together.
• The first verse is performed by one of the female vocalists. The melody is quite simple. Later on, we can hear one of the male vocalists, and later on they sing together.
• In the pre-chorus, a male singer with a husky voice joins. The melody is based on drums, keyboards and guitars.
• The chorus takes us back to the intro, it is a bit heavy and pushes too much.
• Towards the end, they recite (and not sing), the production is laid-back.
• Overall, the song isn’t appealing and feels archaic.

#7. Isak Šabanović – Ljeto, ljeto, ljeto

• It is an ethnic-electro pop.
• The song opens with electric keyboards and synth elements, Isak starts with a sparse singing.
• He sings the first verse in a mid-low tone of smokey voice.
• The chorus feels a bit more festive and uplifting. The guitars and synth elements take over the melody. This part is quite catchy, and it might also be related to the repeat of the word “Ljeto”.
• The second verse is similar to the first one, but comes with a richer production.
• The second chorus gives vibes of a summer stadium hymn, mainly due to the backing vocals.
• The bridge is mostly based on singing, with a laid-back production. An additional chorus follows.
• Overall, the chorus is catchy, and therefore the song is memorable. I am not sure how competitive it is.

#8. Kejt – Obala raja (Eng: Shore of Paradise)

• It is a mid-tempo electro-pop ballad.
• The song opens with keyboards playing and some digital effects in the production. Kejt sings it with a angelic voice.
• The song’s arrangement is built on multiple layers. The pre-chorus has more elements in the production and some classic elements added. She shows us more of her vocal in this part.
• The chorus is faster, as is the accompanying beat, which is faster and kicking. The word phrasing serves a curvy melody.
• The post-chorus relies on an instrumental part composed on violin playing.
• The second verse is based on a mid-tempo beat, electronic elements and keyobards.
• The second pre-chorus is probably the peak point of the song, vocally speaking.
• The second chorus is performed in English, and the structure is the same as in the first one. This continues to the post-chorus where the violin is dominant.
• The song ends with a minimal production, and the emphasis is on her voice.
• Overall, solid production with a non-standard melody. Kejt is a trusted vocalist and will probably push it even higher.

#9. Luka Radović – Kada dođe maj (Eng: When May Comes)

• It is a dance-pop song with 1980’s club elements song.
• The song opens with some twirling. The melody is based on keyboards, guitar and electronic elements. For this part, Luka sings in a mid-low tone of voice. The pre-chorus is built on a faster beat and the production is more intense.
• The chorus is performed in a considerably high tone of voice, which was a bit “jarring” to me. The production is heavily influenced by the 1980’s music. However, this part of the song is more memorable.
• Some humming leads us to the next verse, this time the synth-electro elements play a more significant role in the production. The second pre-chorus sounds more like reciting, rather than singing.
• The second chorus is quite similar to the first one.
• I feel quite ambivalent about this one. On one hand, it isn’t bad and the production is planned. However, the vocals don’t fit the melody. I would also add that the song is a bit old-fashioned.

#10. Milena Vučić – Škorpija (Eng: Scorpio)

• It is a rock pop song
• The song opens with an “oh oh oh” singalong, which gives it a bit of a stadium anthem vibe.
• The first-chorus is based on guitars and keyboards, Milena sings it sensually.
• The first pre-chorus takes us to a higher pace. The chorus is served with a smokey tone of voice, and tons of attitude. The “oh oh oh” finalized this part, woven into the melody.
• The second verse is slightly more “calm” vocally. The melody is uniform, and we can hear some more elements in the production.
• The second chorus is also based on electric and bass guitars. This is the most catchy part of the song. The bridge features some metallic effects over pre-recorded vocals, and towards the end, we get a kind of modulation.
• It sounds like a female rock-pop song from 1995, but the song has a bold attitude and staging potential.

#11. Nemanja Petrović – Među zvijezdama (Eng: Among the stars)

• It is a Balkan ballad.
• The song opens with piano playing. Nemanja sings in a mid-low tone of voice. The arrangement is classic, and you can already guess the general direction.
• The production builds a big heavy, but traditional line around the melody. The pre-chorus and the chorus show us more of his vocals. In this part, we can also hear violin and string elements.
• After the chorus, we get a short orchestral instrumental part.
• The second verse features more elements in the production.
• The second chorus melody features guitar which adds a slightly rock atmosphere.
• Overall, the song doesn’t bring anything new. Over the years, we have heard similar songs in the Serbian, Albanian, and Croatian selections. I would even dare to say that the song bored me.

#12. Neonoen – Clickbait

• It is an electro-pop-rock song with some punk elements.
• The song opens with the sound of percussion elements and some echo effects over singing. This part continues quite long, and in fact this is the first verse. I am not sure how it will executed in a live performance
• The chorus kicks more, taking the song in a more rocky direction. The melody has some arcade game references. The lyrics suggest a spicy side with “gay or straight.” The word “Clickbait” repeats. The production goes even into house/punk music.
• A short instrumental part leads to the second verse, where the lead singer performs in a sexy voice and rock style. The melody features drums playing. Thereafter, we get an additional chorus
• The bridge starts with a guitar solo. The beat becomes more intense, accompanied by electronic elements.
• It is one of the modern songs in the line-up, and it sounds like they have the right attitude. I also liked the way they combined a number of genres together.

#13. Nina Žižić – Dobrodošli (Eng: Welcome)

• It is a lyrical low-mid-tempo ballad. The melody is based on piano playing and resonating percussion effects.
• Nina sings the song with a smokey-velvet voice.
• The first verse is performed considerably slower. The first pre-chorus follows, it is a bit faster.
• The first chorus is emotional and short, and the melody is quite uniform.
• The second verse’s melody features drums playing. This part is more dynamic and Nina shows more of her vocal range.
  The second pre-chorus and second chorus rely on more classical elements like violin playing. This is the point where the song becomes more dramatic.
• Nina sings with some twirls and powerful vocals. The song ends with a short instrumental part.
• By listening to the song, it is quite predictable that Darko Dimitrov is one of the composers. It has the quality level of other songs like “Proud” (North Macedonia 2019).
• Overall, it’s one of the strongest songs in the line-up, that can make an impact with the right staging.

#14. Tamara Živković – Poguban let (Eng: A Doomed Flight)

• It is a modern Balkan ballad.
• The song starts with keyboards playing. Tamara has a deep and angelic tone of voice. We can hear some pre-recorded backing vocals. The atmosphere is a bit dark and mystique.
• The pre-chorus is a bit faster, and the melody is based on keyboards and orchestral elements. The chorus continues in the same way. Tamara sings in a warm and emotional voice.
• The post-chorus continues with humming, 1980’s oriented production, and choir singing. The melody is based on symphonic elements.
• The following part is strong vocally, this time it is a short verse. An additional chorus follows, quite similar to the first one. The bridge starts laid-back, but later on, we get the symphonic melody back.
• Towards the end, the production pushes her to give a very strong moment vocally, which develops into a modulation.
• It is a bit ironic that one of the best songs in the lineup was only a backup song. Her interpretation reflects that she is telling a story, which is important in this kind of song.

#15. Tina Džankić – Nova (Eng: New)

• It is a jazz-pop song.
• The song starts with electric keyboards playing.
• The production of the song suggests a throwback to the 1960s or 1970s music. Tina sings effortlessly, and the electric beat wraps the melody. The atmosphere is light and fun. The first chorus goes quite predictably.
• The chorus is more soulful, and we get a more warn interpretation, Tina is supported by backing vocals. This part is finalized by trumpet playing.
• Out of the blue, Tina sings the second verse in a higher pitch. It still sounds very professional. The pre-chorus builds up to the chorus.
• The second chorus is once again cheerful and soulful. The song is finalized by some high note and improvisations.
• I am not sure about the chances of this song, but at least there’s nothing similar to this in the line-up.

#16. Verica Čuljković – Čuješ li (Eng: Do You Hear It?)

• It is a symphonic Balkan ballad.
• The song opens with a violin playing, and later on the piano plays the main role.
• Verica opens the first verse with a noticeable velvet (but somehow angelic) voice. The first verse is classic and lives in a very specific range.
• The pre-chorus includes some percussion elements. The chorus relies mainly on her voice, and the piano playing.
• The second verse continues in the same way. We get an additional chorus. Later on, the dynamics change as we get a cell solo. This is followed by an additional chorus.
• The production and arrangement of the song are honorable . However, I am not sure whether it will bold. There’s some heaviness in the song, that should have been mitigated a bit.

Prediction

In my opinion, the songs which might compete on the first place are:

• Nina Žižić – Dobrodošli (Eng: Welcome)
• Neonoen – Clickbait
• Baryak – Dva srca (Eng: Two Hearts)
• Kejt – Obala raja (Eng: Shore of Paradise)

My Personal Ranking

1. Nina Žižić – Dobrodošli (Eng: Welcome)
2. Tamara Živković – Poguban let (Eng: A Doomed Flight)
3. Kejt – Obala raja (Eng: Shore of Paradise)
4. Neonoen – Clickbait
5. Baryak – Dva srca (Eng: Two Hearts)
6. Milena Vučić – Škorpija (Eng: Scorpio)
7. Anastasija Koprolčec – Kraj (Eng: End)
8. Tina Džankić – Nova (Eng: New)
9. Đurđa – To ljubav je (Eng: That’s Love)
10. Isak Šabanović – Ljeto, ljeto, ljeto (Eng: Summer, summer, summer)
11. Dolce Hera – Repeat (Eng: Repeat)
12. Verica Čuljković – Čuješ li (Eng: Do You Hear It?)
13. Nemanja Petrović – Među zvijezdama (Eng: Among the stars)
14. Luka Radović – Kada dođe maj (Eng: When May Comes)
15. Glumci Bend – San
16. Bend “9” – Stop war

Eurovision 2025 will be held in Basel, Switzerland on the 13th, 15th and 17th of May 2025