I'm pleasantly surprised by Laura's song. My expectations were low because her output hasn't been as good without Sven but I'm really enjoying this and it's probably my fave. In fact once again there's not much to choose from here and it makes me sad about the state of Estonia's music scene. It's almost like it's forbidden to do anything out of the box or interesting. It's all bland inoffensive radio fodder. Jaagup Tuisk could be epic on the stage but it also made me want to go and listen to Netherlands 2019 instead so what's the point?
I agree with every single word.
Tuisk's song production is great and could have made an epic composition, but the melody itself is too familiar and reminiscent of "Arcade", and one Arcade is enough as far as I'm concerned. With a less predictable melody, it could have been a moment. With the right staging, it could make an impact, but if Rahula doesn't contemplate upgrading the visuals compared to 2019, then we're in for an empty stage and nothing else again.
Like you, I'm saddened by the beige plague that hits Eesti Laul. I'm not someone who often gets bored with music, but I admit I yawned at many entries here.
As you said, it's not that the lineup is bad, it's just... uninteresting. Thank the Lord I had the chance to follow EL 2018 at least.
I had the same feeling about Laura, and "Break Me" turned out to be better crafted than I expected. It's not explosive, but I think it's a grower actually. Her presence made me want to binge-listen to "Lennujaamas" again: Lõhmus knows his business. I hope he comes back. That track was my tea.