Well into the Eurovision off-season…
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[6.67]
Kylo Nocom: “Barrio” continues off the success of Eurovision runner-up “Soldi” and summer hit “Calipso” as Mahmood’s collaborations with Charlie Charles and Dardust grow increasingly idiosyncratic in their production ambitions. Mahmood is apparently a huge Rosalía fan, which explains the classical guitar and the vague Spaniard poetics, but his incorporation of flamenco is more light experimentation than a wholly realized synthesis. This unfortunately shows in his writing; his references to Latin gangs and barrios simply fulfill the desire to make his globetrotting influences explicit, using detached signifiers long forgotten by the second stanza. Everything else compensates greatly. The “Paper Planes” sound effects, his ascending and descending vocals, the start-and-stop siren synth, the guttural pitch-shifted barrio all indicate somebody with bountiful ideas in how to push the boundaries of chart pop.
[8]
Scott Mildenhall: Certain other countries: Look how easy it is to find interesting new stars with interesting songs for Eurovision! It’s impressive enough that Mahmood manages with his main mode being monotone, but every inflection out of that is that bit more sharp for the contrast, and both sides convey an unmoving confidence. It feels directed as much at the listener as the addressee: the sound of a man who has indeed had his presence confirmed by the clap of eight thousand hands.
[7]
Katherine St Asaph: Zero chance this gets US crossover, but on sound alone it totally could; it veers just enough off formula into Top 40 sonic territory (“Paper Planes” chimes included), and Camila Cabello pre-emptively ripped it off.
[6]
Alex Clifton: Mediterranean Eurodance with a throbbing bass and alluring guitar; Mahmood calls a less-brash Stromae to mind. At times the production gets distracting (not sure we need the cash register dings in the background), but this is something I’m putting on my party playlists from now on.
[7]
Edward Okulicz: Mahmood’s Eurovision entry was bracing in the context of the contest, but I also think what he’s doing is interesting in a broader pop context. “Barrio” repeats his trick of melding classic Italian pop traditions and rich melody with modern rhythms in a way that’s distinctive and ear-catching. But lacking the emotive pre-chorus of “Soldi,” this subs in sound effects, and that’s a bad trade-off.
[6]
Jessica Doyle: It’s not as attention-getting as “Soldi,” and the gunshot effects after “barrio” don’t mesh all that well with the overall atmosphere of muted despair. (The choreography does make me a little wistful that we’re facing such low odds of ever getting a Mahmood/Sunmi collaboration.) Still, he has a way of slipping lines like “I used to drink water with Oki just to calm down / I used to play video games to keep from going outside” past on first listen, and only later does the listener realize the images and their attendant emotions are still sticking around.
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