Ireland - Whether hailed as the nation with the greatest and most consistent collection of songwriters, Riverdance or their taste for traditional approaches rather than chart-smashers, Ireland always seem to give a certain level of expectations.
What is Ireland's take on a major event that once had a certain degree of stylishness and quality to it, now instead seem to have stalled, tripped and fallen prey to it's own old cliches, a far cry from the classical years of substance and sophistication? Ireland; a Nation who otherwise seemed to hold "Eurovision" in a steady grip, now has fallen off the map completely, downgraded to elevator music? Well, Ireland is still Ireland, of course - However, in recent years, we have grown used to the fact that Ireland isn't plowing all too much effort into Eurovision anymore; and who can blame them? Wogan wasn't the only one that complained about the "Karaoke"-revamped state of the new competition, but they could still attempt to race ahead of the curve. Sadly, in recent years, there's been almost no attempts at all.
This year, they give us a bloke named Nicky Byrne, a footballer, dancer among other things, but most importantly, a has-been member of the boy band Westlife. Except, Westlife is not a boy band anymore and Byrne is closing in on his 40's, the glamorous days of being the cute blond front-page guy is long gone. So what is Byrne's take on this - Is it a desperate last-resort at reviving his stalling career (or stay relevant), a grueling restlessness, or just a way to challenge his own boundaries?
'Sunrise' is a tightly produced pop-tune, that, with it's glossy enthusiastic lyrics, would fit right in place as a backdrop for a Nickelodeon TV-show aimed at teenagers. It's so tightly produced, it leaves no room to breath, it's non-existent treble and an all soft-to-the-ear mixing (including the typical EDM-like drops, buildups and epic middle-8) tries to enhance a more modern experience. It's sort of reminiscent of the late Duran Duran ("Reach up for the sunrise" comes to mind, not just the title...), with older dudes trying to stay relevant by releasing "hip" song for the masses of teenagers, however this is a slightly less offensive, less rockier and not-as-groundbreaking, in fact, it's not trying too hard to be something it's not. For example, it's mellow state helps it's selling point, it sort of works, but in a slightly unforgettable way. It's something you would listen off the radio during the summer and then quickly forget when the next track starts.
And therein lies the problem; The song is trapped in it's own mediocrity, careful enough not to step over any of it's borders. "Sunlight" is a step-up in terms of quality from yesteryear, but it's not remotely close enough to win Eurovision Song Contest in 2016.