Tonight sees the start of the search for Spain’s entry for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest as Benidorm Fest returns to the TV screens. Tonight, eight songs are hoping to make their way into the final, with another eight battling it out on Thursday night. ESC Covers’ Andy Richards takes a listen to each contender with his thoughts on their potential success.

Lérica – “Astronauta”

The title reminds me of another recent Eurovision entry, but I can’t  quite place it(!) Joking aside, it’s totally different to Sam’s entry a couple of years ago, and more an upbeat pop/dance with elements of the likes of Avicii or the Swedish House Mafia. It’s a banger, and the instrumental section is very catchy, but I’m not sold on the vocals. It could be better live, but on the radio version, they’re all a bit muddy in the mix, and you can’t really hear what’s going on with the drums and instruments drowning everything out. It would be good in EuroClub, however.

Noan – “Te echo de”

A simple few twangs on an acoustic guitar and a soft but grizzly vocal open this one, but things soon burst into action. It sounds like something that would suit San Remo well, with a very Italian indie-rock sound to it. I think the crowd in Benidorm will enjoy this one tonight, and with a decent staging, the voting public will do too. There’s often not much that can be done on stage with ‘band’ style performances, but that didn’t really cause an issue for Måneskin!

Sofia Coll – “HERE TO STAY”

The opening electronic arpeggio is very similar to Margaret Berger’s song in MGP this year. Sofia’s vocals remind me of Lady Gaga – especially the talky bit where she explains in English what the song is about for those that ‘don’t speak Spanish’. The souhnd to the song is very 90s/00s trance or Eurodance, and it works well. It’s on a similar par to Lérica’s song earlier on, but I think works a little better. Another one for Benidorm Fest’s EuroClub!

MANTRA – “Me Vas A Ver”

Another good pop offering from MANTRA. It brings me back to memories of S Club 7 and Steps, and with the recent return to both of those acts, it’s something that a couple of different generations can enjoy. Something about the song almost sounds like it’s a bit *too* fast, though, and could do with being knocked down a few BPM. It seems a nice, happy song, and there’s even a key change for those playing drinking games this evening!

Miss Caffeina – “Bla Bla Bla”

Come on. I can’t be the only one to think of a certain Finnish song when looking at the title? Replace the ‘B’ to a ‘C’. It’s very different sounding, though. I like the bassline and tempo, and the ‘bla bla bla’ hook is quite pleasant, if not a little annoying. There’s an eighties feel to the style of the song, and the vocals are reminiscent of bands like Erasure – but obvbiously in Spanish. This feels like it could have some vivid or crazy staging along with the song, but we shall see later this evening.

Quique Niza – “PRISIONERO”

The single artwork looks like one of those blurry photos that you find on your camera roll after a drunken night out, but the production is at least worth talking about. It has everything thrown at it, but just about avoids being over produced. There’s some nice piano breaks in the clutter, and it all together works well as a package. I think his vocals are good, but the real test will be tonight live in the show.

 Angy – “Sé Quién Soy”

Another well produced contemporary pop tune here. The first 42-or-so seconds of the song are great, but I don’t really like the chorus at all. It just feels like the build leads to a totally different and weaker song. The guitar-heavy middle eight section brings the quality back again, and from there, everything is good. If about 20-30 seconds had been cut or replaced, I believe that it would have been a better song. There’s definitely something there, though.

Nebulossa – “ZORRA”

Love the opening. It has that kind of Kylie Minogue eightes disco throwback to it, with the synths and electronic drum beat. The chords are very nice, and her softly sung vocals work well in the production as a whole. It goes a bit crazy halfway though, and whoever is on the keytar has cranked it up to 11 on the dial. The song is closing the show, and is memorable, so I think this could do well in the voting.

The first Semi-final of Benidorm Fest starts tonight at 22:50CET on RTVE, and is hosted by Ruth Lorenzo, Marc Calderó and Ana Prada. Four songs from tonight will make their way into the Grand Final on Saturday. If you’re outside of Spain, you can watch the live stream of the show here.

Image: comunitatvalenciana.com