I don’t even remember the last time Greece held a national final to select their ESC entry. I have to be honest – while I was not particularly impressed with this selection of songs, I still found it to be an overall pleasant line-up, with several entries featuring traditional sounds and instrumentation, as well as the Greek language. This selection would make for a fairly pleasant road trip playlist – chill, airy, and not particularly challenging – but, as with all national finals that are still trying to find their footing, I didn’t quite find a clear throughline nor did I get a clear sense of what the selection committee was looking for and/or felt would be a good fit for ESC.
That said, I do think there are 3 solid, fairly competitive tracks that would qualify fairly easily. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they’re also the three entries that feel the most current – I am really not sure what the televote and the national juries will make of them, but they should fare quite well with the international juries (which are only 25% of the final score, but still!). Unsurprisingly, they’re also all female bops or bop-adjacent tracks – I feel like this is the specific vibe that ESC is going for this year. No complaints there!
This is pretty much ready to go, and it is definitely the most competitive option. We waited a while for Evangelia to finally commit to ESC, and listening to this, you can really tell she’s done her homework and she’s come to class prepared. Vále is a banger, and it feels like it was engineered specifically for Eurovision – the propulsive drop, the luxe EDM production, the chanting, the smart use of the native language, the bouzouki dance break…checkity check check check. I would normally resent something that was so clearly built in an ESC lab, but this is actually the sound of Evangelia’s back catalog, and it showcases her artistry very accurately. Greece, pick this.
This would be my favorite track of the selection if the drop hit just a bit harder. I absolutely love the production in the verses and especially the pre-chorus, with that slow burn of a crescendo that creates a real, compelling, dark atmosphere. I also love the imagery of the sirens as a metaphor that feels true to Greek mythology. The chorus is what’s leaving me wanting more both in terms of lyrics and instrumentation – it’s not bad, but it feels just a bit flat compared to the rest of the song, like an advanced draft of a track that still needs an additional rewrite or just more ideas.
Things I love: it’s entirely sung in Greek; Klavdia is a terrific vocalist with a pure, crystal clear tone and fabulous reading glasses; the subtle electronic line sneaking up on you during the verses that makes the production more special and intricate. The issue, however, is that the song itself lacks a moment – vocal and/or musical – or a climax to build to in the last minute or so. This is a really pleasant, well put together track, but as a mid-tempo pop ballad, it feels more like an album track than a lead single.
ESC Etc. 
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