The Singles Jukebox

The most googled person in Croatia and Slovenia, according to completely accurate and factual Wikipedia text…

[Video][Website]
[5.14]

Will Adams: The prize for resisting the urge to discard this obvious “We Found Love” recreation in its first two minutes is the introduction of a jaunty melody that brings it closer to Perfume’s “Miracle Worker.” In terms of heavy, shameless borrowing, one could do much worse than those two songs.
[6]

Will Rivitz: Didn’t we bury this style of Eurotrashy house with Cascada ten years ago?
[2]

Katie Gill: It’s really dated in a way that reminds me of Cascada and slightly dated in a way that reminds me of “We Found Love” — but not in a bad way, though! Severina’s voice is powerful: she’s not trying anything new, sticking in what is obviously her comfort zone, and I love her all the more for it. Add in the strings near the end (I’m always a sucker for strings, even if they are a little square dancey) and you end up with a well-crafted pop song, perfect for dancing.
[7]

Cassy Gress: I’m trying and failing to make some sort of pun out of “she hasn’t found love in a Croatian place”, but yeah, as far as the sound this is a major ripoff, at least up until the bridge where it suddenly imports some bluegrass. “Cocktail mixed with tears” is an evocative phrase though, and regardless of whether everyone around her really is kissing or it just seems that way, this chord progression is great in general for songs about struggling to find a reason to believe.
[5]

Iain Mew: I enjoy this almost as much as practical joke as song, something in the territory of the YouTube account which uploads supposed video game music that morphs into renditions of very different things. In the case of “Sekunde,” its switch works because its overwhelming similarity to “We Found Love” (even the video looks similar!) is such a fine sleight of hand. It is so brazen that it kept me on first listen from noticing that its real game is to get through “We Found Love” and all its drops in half the time while also laying the groundwork for a triumphant twist. So the folk hoedown comes as a ridiculous surprise, but on further listens merges surprisingly well.
[6]

Katherine St Asaph: Sounds like what I imagined “turbo-folk” to be, so it gets theoretical points at least.
[4]

Brad Shoup: When the country band kicks in, it’s like the whole town coming out to welcome you home. Only instead of the traditional labors or wanderings, you just watched your friend do Rihanna karaoke. You’re still honored.
[6]