The Break

While it comes touted as her international debut, The Break is the third full-length from Greek musician Stella Chronopoulou, better known as simply Stella (or the more search-friendly Stella). The wider release comes courtesy of Montreal-based Arbutus Records. A synth pop-styled home recordist who broke through onto radio and critics lists in Greece with her 2015 eponymous album, she again self-produces here, providing dancefloor-friendly grooves under typically simple melodies, topping them off with a melancholy air that borders on ennui. While persistent, that tone never overshadows the upbeat feel of her tracks. After opening the record with a scene-setting instrumental prologue (Bellaria) replete with electronic drums, processed samples, and a whimsical keyboard palette, she introduces her airy, detached vocals on The Race. The song incorporates chromatic folk scales and associated recorder-like timbres as well as hand percussion and syncopated dance rhythms, all anchored by a constant four on the floor. While many of the tracks continue in kind, melodic bass grooves, hi-hat-heavy beats, and electric rhythm guitar evoke the post-punk era at times, though Stella never quite ventures into retro fare, remaining more personal than referential. She occasionally flexes her pop muscles on tracks like The Break and penultimate entry Sleeping Separate, which offers not only a rare earworm melody but rhythms that bounce more than groove. Acknowledging an intangible coolness to Stellas approach that makes her stand out from the crowd, the overall flow of the album is a hypnotic one that seems more suited to head-bobbing to between-set chatter than to a headlining role. ~ Marcy Donelson