PetDoorVision Song Contest 2022: An independent, underplayed alternative to Eurovision

I love the Eurovision Song Contest. I love how over-the-top it is, the sparkly costumes, the contorted performances, the showy staging that just screams, “I bet nobody’s done this before!” It’s not just pyrotechnics and fancy dresses, it’s human hamster wheels, performers swaying atop big bendy poles and riding mirrored cannons, babushki with trays of food, gorilla suits, sadomasochistic torture cages, and so much more. Eurovision has also become a kind of continental Pride party, beloved for its inclusion of LGBTQ+ contestants and hosts, with its first song performance by a gay contestant in 1961 (Jean-Claude Pascal representing Luxembourg with the song Nous les amoureux) a veiled message about the difficulties faced by people in same-sex relationships at that time, and its first song performance by an openly transgender contestant (Dana International representing Israel with the song Diva) winning the competition in 1998. I love that every year a little piece of the world comes together and shares a bit of themselves, their languages, their popular movements, their customs, attire, and instruments, in the common enjoyment of this camp, silly, fabulous shared experience. I even love the hours and hours of blatantly partisan voting at the end!

The one thing that I personally do not love about Eurovision, however, is the actual music. That is not to say that I don’t recognize that some iconic artists have competed in Eurovision, such as Abba, Celine Dion, Julio Iglesias, and Lordi. It also doesn’t mean that I haven’t played on repeat Urban Symphony’s Randajäd (Estonia 2009), Lena’s Satellite (Germany 2010), or Domenico Modugno’s Nel blu dipinto di blu (Italy 1958). But, on the whole, Eurovision songs lately follow a pretty narrow track of exhaustively produced pop, with the odd melodic metal song thrown in on occasion. Increasingly, the songs are performed in English instead of a language of the represented country, and traditional instruments are becoming sadly rare. I want more musical variety!

Since I specialize in sharing independent and underplayed music of all genres and styles on my radio show the Pet Door Show on Shady Pines Radio (Thursdays, 2–4pm PT / 5–7pm ET / 11pm-1am CET), I know that there is so much more musical variety out there in the world. And so, on this Thursday’s show I presented a special unofficial alternative to Eurovision: The PetDoorVision Song Contest, sharing a cross-genre selection of some of my personal favorites from Eurovision nations. Sadly it would take more than 2 hours to share a track by every nation so I had to whittle my selection down for the show, but I still want to share the whole list with you!

So here it is! My top pick from every single Eurovision-eligible competing nation, arranged alphabetically by nation. As always on the Pet Door Show, all tracks are also by independent and underplayed artists with fewer than 5,000 instagram followers, so you know you’ll find a lot of really great underground music on this list. Is there a Spotify playlist? You bet your buttons there is, but I encourage you to purchase any tracks you particularly like at the links provided below if you have the means. I hope you enjoy listening! Let me know who gets your Douze Points!

PetDoorVision Song Contest 2022 Finalists

Albania

Jonisa — Your Masculinity
From the album Ego (January 7th, 2022).
Synth rock from Tirana, Albania.

Andorra

Els Pali — Seu que no veus
Single released October 7th, 2021.
Rumba jazz from Andorra la Vella, Andorra.

Armenia

Apo Sahagian — Musa Loyr Ilum (Մուսա Լոյր Իլում)
From the album Menk (April 1st, 2022).
Folk from an Armenian Jerusalemite artist.

Australia and Morocco

Julian Belbachir — Soudani Manayo
From the album Babdoukkala (May 14th, 2022).
Desert blues folk by a Moroccan-Australian artist from Sydney, Australia.

Austria

Liz Metta — Fragile & Strong
From the album Fragile & Strong (March 31st, 2022).
Indie rock from Vienna, Austria.

Azerbaijan

Aintnolie — Hǝyat Qruz, Pt. 3
From the album Hǝyat Qruz (April 23rd, 2021).
Hip hop from Baku, Azerbaijan.

Belgium

Tout Va Bien — Have You (the island song)
From the album Come a Little Closer (October 23rd, 2021).
Folk pop from Leuven, Belgium.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sunday Stories — Karma
Single released May 10th, 2021.
Soul from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bulgaria

Cool Den — Игра На Живот
From the album Тази Земя (October 10th, 2021).
Rock hip hop from Sofia, Bulgaria.

Croatia

Skotni Vrag — Zvučni zid
From the album Skotni Vrag (April 17th, 2022).
Prog rock from Virovitica, Croatia.

Cyprus

Monsieur Doumani — Tiritichtas
From the album Pissourin (September 10th, 2021).
Folk jazz funk from Nicosia, Cyprus.

Czechia

Lenka Lichtenberg — Utíkej, utíkej člověče — Run, run, you little human
From the album Thieves of Dreams — Zloději snů (May 6th, 2022).
Art folk jazz from Prague, Czechia, now based in Toronto, Canada.

Denmark

Astrid Cordes — Good Time
From the EP Hurry Up (May 13th, 2022).
Indie pop from Copenhagen, Denmark.

Estonia

Puuluup — Üksindus
From the album Viimane suusataja (September 17th, 2021).
Indie folk from Viljandi, Estonia.

Finland

Teini-Pää — Silmät kiinni
From the album Maailma kyllä odottaa (January 20th, 2022).
Indie punk from Helsinki, Finland.

France

Ottis Coeur — Devinez la fin
From the EP Juste Derrière Toi (November 26th, 2021).
Indie rock from Paris, France.

Georgia

Koma Stark — We Are Yezidi Guys | Emin xortê êzidî
From the album Kelesho: Music of Yezidis from Georgia (June 29th, 2021; Antonovka Records).
Folk from Tbilisi, Georgia.

Germany

Belitzki. — Tourism 4.0
From the album In Kreisen (July 30th, 2021).
Post punk from Cologne, Germany.

Greece

Dury Dava — Ilektrosok (Ηλεκτροσόκ)
From the EP Deluxe (April 29th, 2022).
Psych rock from Athens, Greece.

Hungary

Barkóczi Noémi — Zugló
From the album Dolgom volt (September 22nd, 2021).
Indie rock from Budapest, Hungary.

Iceland

Sucks to be you Nigel — Tína blóm
From the album Tína blóm (November 12th, 2021).
Punk from Reykjavik, Iceland.

Ireland

Caleb Kunle — All in Your Head
Single released May 4th, 2022.
Soul pop from Laois, Ireland.

Israel

Jowan Safadi —The Crime (الجريمة)
Single released April 4th, 2022.
Hip hop from Haifa, Israel-occupied Palestine.

Italy

sonosem — La mia signorina — Live in studio
From the album Da così lontano (March 24th, 2022; Bunya Records).
Indie soul from Celle Ligure, Italy.

Latvia

ŪGA — NELEGĀLAIS BIZNESS
Single released January 12th, 2022.
Hip hop from Riga, Latvia.

Lithuania

shishi — I Cannot Believe
Single released May 11th, 2022.
Indie pop from Vilnius, Lithuania.

Luxembourg

Francis of Delirium — The Funhouse
From the album The Funhouse (April 27th, 2022).
Indie rock from Luxembourg.

Malta

JOON — Watch The Sky
From the album Dream Again (July 16th, 2021).
Electronica from Valletta, Malta.

Moldova

Dandies — Sea Side Rumble
From the album Rockin’ Days and Rollin’ Nights (April 12th, 2022).
Swing rock ’n’ roll from Chișinău, Moldova.

Monaco

HAH — Quartre-quart au thon
From the album Chimaera Monstrosa (April 22nd, 2021).
Experimental metal from Monaco.

Montenegro

Selferadication Dpt, Roman Gribov, FLOOR IS LAVA, Kiruza, Feyruz, Mariia Livandovskaja, Dzinko, Zmey Andrey — Military Monarchy
Single released May 9th, 2022 (Begemotion Records / FIL Records).
Punk from Bečići / Budva, Montenegro.

Netherlands

POM — Earth Sick
Single released May 6th, 2022.
Indie post punk from Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

North Macedonia

Basement Cult — Vo Mojot Son
From the album Basement Cult #1 (July 7th, 2021).
Rock from Skopje, North Macedonia.

Norway

Sliteneliten — 6-timers arbeidsdag
Single released May 1st, 2022.
Indie folk pop from Oslo, Norway.

Poland

Warszawskie Combo Taneczne & Kapela Zdzisława Kwapińskiego — Polka z Mokotowa
From the album Skarałeś Mnie Boże (May 21st, 2021).
Polka folk from Warsaw, Poland.

Portugal

chica — Brincar com o Cão — Arranjo em banda
From the EP Cada Qual no seu Buraco (May 6th, 2022).
Indie folk from Lisbon, Portugal.

Romania

The Kryptonite Sparks — Dacă Vii Azi
Single released August 24th, 2021.
Indie from Bucharest, Romania.

San Marino

Hybrid Practice — Reclaim the Throne
From the album Violent Ordeal (May 7th, 2022).
Heavy metal from San Marino.

Serbia

Obojeni Program — Kuda ovaj čovek ide
From the EP 2021 = 41 (May 7, 2021).
Post punk from Novi Sad, Serbia.

Slovakia

FS Hornád — Ľubko
From the album Veci čo sa dejú (January 7th, 2021).
Polka folk from Košice, Slovakia.

Slovenia

Batista Cadillac — Magnolije
From the album Batista Cadillac (May 9th, 2022).
Soul from Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Spain

The Oddballs — Short Trip
From the album Tales of Error (May 19th, 2022).
Rockabilly punk from Málaga, Spain.

Sweden

Alba James — Walls
Single released May 5th, 2022.
Folk from Värmland, Sweden.

Switzerland

Evita Koné — End Game
From the EP Break (May 13th, 2022)
R&B hip hop from Geneva, Switzerland.

Turkey

Dilay Dal — Perdeler
Single released December 3rd, 2021.
Indie from Istanbul, Turkey.

Ukraine

Postman — Перебути день
From the album Змінилось багато. Змінилось нічого (December 10th, 2021).
Indie folk soul from Kyiv, Ukraine / Wrocław, Poland.

United Kingdom

Folly Group — I Raise You (The Price of Your Head)
From the EP Human and Kind (March 25th, 2022).
Post punk from London, England.

Wow, you got to the end! Amazing! Here’s that Spotify playlist again. And remember to tune in to the Pet Door Show every Thursday 2–4pm PDT / 5–7pm EDT / 10pm-12am UK on Shady Pines Radio.