Espresso Macchiato (Estonia 2025)

In 11th place alphabetically is Estonia, represented by Tommy Cash with Espresso Macchiato!

(Source)

Tommy's lucky that I don't judge based on what I eat. I hate almost anything coffee.

Lyrics: 76%
Composition: 65%
Vocals: 68%
Staging: 92%
Vibes: 80%
Overall: 75.7%

Verdict: FLAPPY PLANE WINGS AND COFFEE FOR EVERYBODY.

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LYRICS - Total: 19/25 (76%)
Subject Matter: 9/10
Effective Use of Language: 3/5
Clarity: 2.5/5
Flow: 4/5

I'm not sure what to make of this song, but I'm seeing two main types of lines: 

The first type includes lines like "Life may give you lemons", "I work around the clocko / that's why I'm sweating like a mafioso", "life is like spaghetti, it's hard until you make it" - so basically, Tommy's singing character bragging about their hardworking nature. 

The second type includes lines like "Mi like to fly privati with 24 carati / also mi casa very grandioso" and "no stresso, no stresso", which mark the singing character as someone who's used to luxury and being able to relax.

Put together, I can only assume that the song is probably poking fun at and ridiculing self-important and/or "look at me I work so hard and I succeeded" people who want to present themselves as a success story to others. And the espresso macchiato in this context would be like... I don't know. One of those superficial branding things.

It's pretty interesting, all things considered. A critique of materialism as a form of success and societal attachment to status symbols? Hard to work out what it is, but I guess that comes with the territory (Tommy Cash).

The lyrics flow pretty smoothly, despite it being in two languages. 

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COMPOSITION - Total: 13/20 (65%)
Melody/Bass: 3.5/5
Instrumentation: 3.5/5
Development: 2.5/5
Coherence: 3.5/5

This is fun. Very quirky and playful, clearly doesn't take itself too seriously. I like that drum line, especially in the bit before the chorus comes back in. That said, it doesn't feel like it goes anywhere much. Doesn't sound like there's much change or evolution as the song moves along, and by the time the end comes around it feels just the slightest but little repetitive.

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VOCALS - Total: 17/25 (68%)
Vocals: 12/20
Immersion: 5/5

Tommy's singing is ok-ish but isn't great; there's not much in the way of vocal acrobatics and he's still occasionally slightly off-note. He does put up a very immersive performance, though.

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STAGING - Total: 23/25 (92%)
The Show: 9/10
The Story: 9/10
Outfits: 5/5

The staging on this one is pretty well done. Given that the song itself is quirky, possibly mocking, and doesn't take itself too seriously, it should have a staging that's about the same - and Espresso Macchiato delivers.

From the opening post with Tommy serenading the coffee cup, to entering the Winner's Cafe, to the security guards who cater to Tommy's character's every whim - her gets lifted by them, and even steps over their backs later on - everything builds a picture of that self-absorbed, successful, materialistic guy. And yet, to mock the whole idea and turn it into a caricature, there are several things that stand out - the sheer length of Tommy's tie, the oversized security guard shoulder pads, even the end where Tommy's visually used as the stirrer to his bed of coffee beans (giving Scrooge McDuck). And of course, the stage invader was pretty funny as well.

And that plane with the flapping wings! I actually wtf-loled.

I love the way this song was staged.

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VIBES - 80%
Fun song. Would listen to it again, even if Espresso Macchiato is not mi amore.