Dora gone done it this year. Not only does this roster feature the most eclectic and current lineup to recent memory, but Croatia’s got the track. I have reviewed several national finals so far featuring strong, oustanding entries, but here we’re looking at the first one that legitimately screams potential ESC winner.
And it almost didn’t get to compete (more on that later)! I will say, 24 acts does still feel like slightly too many. I know that Dora fashions itself more closely to Sanremo, and it is meant at least in part to be a celebration of national music, but this lineup could’ve been cut down to 20 or even 18 without losing any of its potential and appeal. I will also say that we really do need to credit Let 3 at least in part for this renaissance/upgrade, because after years of middling results, they did a lot to put Croatia back on the ESC map and they clearly inspired artists from all different corners/sonorities to give this one a go. And I love that. Here are our faves!
Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim
ESC WINNER ALERT. Zsa Zsa, originally slated to take part in the contest, unexpectedly pulled out last week opening the door for one of the alternates to take her place. That just happened to be Baby Lasagna. One has to wonder how this marvelous marvelous thing didn’t make the cut outright? In the hours immediately following the release of the video on YouTube, the fandom caught alight with a reaction that recalls and surpasses even the hype sorrounding Cha Cha Cha winning UMK last year. The comparison to the Finnish televote-topping hit extends well past that, however – RTTD is also a metal-tinged rock banger that starts with the dial set to HULK SMASH and just does not let up from there. Anyone who still feels wronged by last year’s (correct and fair and accurate and perfect, let’s be exceedingly clear) outcome will definitely rally behind this one, but the track just has universal appeal with its message (“let’s have one last dance before life changes”), a stomping, pulsating beat (it clocks in at 128 BPM but feels like 1280) and an energetic, bombastic production (including an exhilarating, genre-bending bridge where the song suddenly turns into an EDM/techno ass slapper). It’s joyful, it’s dark, it’s unlike anything else. I can’t wait to watch the live. Zagreb 2025?
No matter what happens, we’re going to be losing a song this year in this contest and it’s a shame. Gasoline is just a phenomenal, Dua Lipa-adjacent pop banger and Marcela’s possibly got the best vocal I’ve heard so far this ESC season. The thumping drumline adds a layer of complexity to the production, but the star here is just the hook of that chorus (“Come on, set me on fire” is one hell of a transitional lyric there especially in the very first iteration) and the suggestive, gritty message of resilience (“the only time I feel alive/the only thing that gets me through the night/when I’m burning like gasoline”) that actually feels earnest and truly uplifting. The bridge is up there as one of the most heavenly things you’ll hear all year. This would also contend for a Top 5 finish at ESC, but it just so happens to be up against something else that is truly extraordinary. Marcela you will always be famous for this.
This is just fun. It’s a somewhat more generic EDM track (as a matter of fact, the chord progression sounds very similar to Stereo Love by Maya/Jigulina, but that’s not for me to sort out I guess), yet it is beautifully produced, it’s as danceable as anything, and it’s a bit of a throwback to the stuff topping the US Dance charts 10 to 15 years ago. I also appreciate that it is essentially a novelty when it comes to Dora‘s usual lineup, so I was automatically just drawn to it out of sheer surprise the first time it came up. Will be blasting it in the car. That said, it would probably end up midtable at ESC, and in a year where Croatia has the two aforementioned options, it is a no.
ESC Etc. 
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