Portugal—so often the earnest, acoustic soul of the contest—has delivered something this year that feels neither desperate nor overwrought, which in Eurovision terms is practically a revolution. Deslocado, by basement-born Madeira band NAPA, is a gentle, dreamy little number with just enough 60s DNA to be charming rather than cosplay.
The piano line, with its faintly oriental lilt, evokes early Japan (the band, not the country—ask someone much older, with a record player). Layered over this are mop-topped vocals, soft harmonies, and just the right amount of reverb to conjure a summer evening that smells faintly of sea air, weed smoke, and someone’s first heartbreak.
It’s Beatles-ish without being slavish, studenty without being smug. A few notes of Arctic Monkeys and Caetano Veloso are tucked in there too, though very gently—as if they didn’t want to startle the song into becoming something more attention-seeking. There’s not a lot of drama here, which in a year stuffed with theatrical nonsense, may be precisely what gives this entry its charm.
The band—five nice young men, (some) with glasses, guitars, and probably strong opinions about pedals—feel like the kind of act that might’ve once opened for a more famous band on a wet Tuesday in Porto and stolen the show. There’s a lived-in warmth to their performance, and a complete lack of Eurovision posturing, which frankly feels like a balm. It’s standard, safe, and weirdly nourishing—like sitting in the sun too long and realising you’re not annoyed about it.
Come May, with the fireworks still ringing in everyone’s ears and the screamier entries still throbbing in their temples, Deslocado might just be the musical equivalent of a cold drink and a sit down.
10 points
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