“Why-ay-ay-ay?” was a commonly heard complaint in the Netherlands for most of the past decade, as Eurovision non-qualification became an unwelcome but firmly ingrained habit. Everything changed two years ago, when Anouk not only stormed into the grand final with her Birds, but captured a lower top ten position in the process. And then came the sensation in Copenhagen last year: Although certain sources saw the potential in the Common Linnets’ Calm After The Storm right from the start, their unexpected second-place finish behind Conchita Wurst and subsequent commercial success around Europe was a massive boost to the confidence of the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest.

In 2015, the country is sticking to the same formula of nominating a well-known local name and letting them do more or less whatever they want at the contest. This time round, Dutch hopes are resting on the shoulders of 42-year-old Trijntje Oosterhuis. A big star since the 1990s, firstly with the group Total Touch and then as a solo artist, Oosterhuis could be said to be a little past her commercial peak nowadays, but she’s still unquestionably a big name in the Dutch music scene.

And if that wasn’t pedigree enough, her song for ESC 2015, Walk Along, is written by the aforementioned Anouk. All further evidence of the rehabilitation of the contest in the Netherlands. That’s what a couple of good results can do – suddenly, people want to be involved in the event and see it as a legitimate career move. But that Dutch confidence is built on wobbly foundations that could easily collapse again if they fail to reach the final for a third year in a row.

Will they manage it? Walk Along was one of the first ESC 2015 songs we heard, and what sounded like a fresh slice of vaguely country-infused pop in the dark depths of winter now comes across as slightly old and tired. But it’s only us hardcore fans who suffer from the over-familiarity factor at this time of year. Regular viewers and jurors will be encountering the song for the first time, and could easily be enchanted by its simple, engaging production and melody. The main problem with the song lies in its structure, which is repetitive to say the least. The composers show all of their cards within the first 90 seconds, and the remaining time feels like treading water with variants on an all-too-familiar theme.

My verdict is that this is a borderline qualifier – for now. This is one of those entries where the first day of rehearsals in Vienna will tell us so much. What worked for Calm After The Storm last year was its memorable staging and, perhaps crucially, we’re promised another professionally designed stage show from the Dutch this year; they want to essentially recreate a music video feel, and that could help to distract from the repetitiveness of the song and its lyrics. If they succeed, a Saturday night appearance with a final position in the upper right-hand quarter of the scoreboard is not out of the question, although I seriously doubt the Netherlands can challenge for the top ten. If this just comes across as a slightly ordinary woman singing a slightly dull song, though – and that’s a no less plausible outcome – then it could be a return to the dark days of Dutch failure at the semi-final stage.

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