Σtella’s Adagio is a brief, unhurried pop record built from nylon-string guitar, light percussion, jangling chords and small electronic touches. Its 27 minutes move between gentle samba, tropicalia, disco and Greek New Wave, with Σtella singing mostly in English and, for the first time, in Greek. “Ta Vimata” is her fresh take on a 1969 Litsa Sakellariou song, while “Omorfo Mou” turns a boat-born instrumental into a song of longing. “Corfu” strips things back to an instrumental interlude, and “Can I Say” sashays along with a sweetly odd dedication to a stolen bicycle.
The Athens-based artist made the album over five years for Sub Pop, producing it herself and working with collaborators including Rafael Cohen of !!! here credited as Las Palabras, and Gabriel Stebbing. Cohen and Σtella shaped three of the album’s central songs through email and Zoom, including “Baby Brazil,” where nylon guitar, soft strings and electronics bring together yé-yé, tropicalia and disco. Σtella sounds comfortable with the slower pace, but the songs never drag. Fans of polished alternative pop, Greek New Wave and easygoing guitar-led records should find plenty to like, though the album’s small scale and short running time may leave some wanting more.
