It still feels strange to be writing it, and it’s going to feel even stranger when we’re actually in Vienna, but here goes: It’s time to take a look at the home entry that will be representing Austria. After it won the Eurovision Song Contest.

Still crazy, right? But the facts are the facts, and it’s the return of the old-timers in Copenhagen last year (an Austria-Netherlands 1-2, no less!) that will bring the Eurovision bandwagon to the grand old city of Vienna for the 2015 competition – the first time the event has shown its face in the Austrian capital since 1967.

Back then, the local colours were defended by Peter Horton and his rather wordy song title, Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt. Fast-forward to 2015 and things are rather simpler: This year’s entry is called I Am Yours and will be performed by local band The Makemakes, who enjoyed a comfortable victory in the Wer singt für Österreich? national final competition in mid-March.

The Austrian selection procedure came with more than a whiff of the musical “authenticity” that next-door neighbour Germany is so fond of in a Eurovision context, and the winning song fits that model perfectly with its blend of Coldplay-esque musical phrasing, U.S. radio-friendly production and Real Instruments And Musicianship. None of it feels particularly original in a real-world setting, although it’s worth noting that it is quite original for ESC, where this kind of thing hasn’t been seen as often.

My verdict is that, for all I’m sure they’ll have a great time, the Makemakes are a little unfortunate to be representing Austria in the year when it’s actually hosting ESC. If this were a regular Austrian entry, people would be pleasantly surprised, tipping it as a potential qualifier and seeing that as a minor victory, even if the song ultimately ended up finishing 20th in the final. With Austria being automatically qualified as the host, though, when this does come 20th in the final it might feel like something of a let-down, since the band won’t have had the opportunity to celebrate emerging from one of the magic envelopes in a semi-final. Perception is everything, isn’t it?

Of course, I could be underrating Austria’s chances – I Am Yours is a pleasant song, it does stand out as something quite different in this year’s line-up, and juries might fall for its authenticity (that word again). I just can’t see it being much of a televoting hit, and that’s a big target to fall short of.

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