In Eurovision 2025, we have a few iterations of Moody Goth Teens, but my favourites are coming from Lithuania. This tiny Baltic nation is on a roll for sending acts that differ wildly from one another – starting with the Roop’s cerebral pop in 2021, to Monica Liu’s retro disco in 2022 and Silvester Belt’s radio-friendly dance beats in 2024. This year, they’ve got the band Katarsis and the downbeat emo screams of the song Tavo Akys:
These kids are serious! And sad! And singing about pain and crying and destruction and – most importantly – your.
Yes, the song Tavo Akys translates to Your Eyes, and the word Tavo – Your – dominates the end of the song, being repeated 48 times in a row. That’s more repetitions of Tavo than there are total words in the Eurovision-winning song Nocturne.
I realise that all of this makes it sound like I’m making fun of the song, but I am indeed a great big fan of it. It’s the exact type of emo that I would watch as a moody teen myself, cramming into the basements of churches for all ages shows with wicked mosh pits. There was – and is – an urgency to this type of music; a sense that the weight of the world is being borne by the band and it can only be released by the loud noise and controlled violence.
The first verse of the song:
doesn’t specifically name any issue, but it’s easy to think what the lyrics might be about – climate change; the war in Ukraine that’s on Lithuania’s borders; the rise of right-wing governments and fascism; the enshittification of the internet. There is a lot for young people to be angry about, and I cannot blame them!
And yet, Katarsis have poured this anger into their art, making a haunting and beautiful song for Eurovision.
I mean, they recorded a special version of it with a choir in a church and it’s absolutely amazing:
What has shocked me is how love for Tavo Akys seems to be spreading among the fandom. It goes beyond old punks like me. Girl bop lovers like Katarsis. Ballad lovers like Katarsis. Melfest fans like Katarsis. There seems to be something authentic about them that’s cutting through to the fans.
I can only hope that this love extends to the casual fans tuning in on a Thursday night who will be confronted by four people in grey tunics shouting TAVO TAVO TAVO TAVO at them over and over again. This is one of the few times where I’m going to hope that diaspora voting comes into play, and the grand sweep of Lithuanians living across Europe all vote for their home country’s song (along with the rest of us who really, really like it!)
dudepoints.fun 