TEAM REVIEWS: Poland 2025

Welcome back to ESCUnited’s Team Reviews! The National Final season is well underway, and the ESC community is being utterly swamped with potential Eurovision entries from all over Europe. We can barely keep up!

Today we’re head over to Poland and taking a gander at the entries they’ve offered up for us to choose from. The Polish National Final has given us many hits in the past, such as “Woman Who Thinks She’s Very Hot”, “Man With Snakes For Hands” and, of course, “Man Being Pursued By River Monsters.” This year Poland have given their selection format a bit of a revamp, and 11 songs will participate in Wielki Finał Polskich Kwalifikacji 2025 to decide who will be the next Eurovision entry for the country.

Giving their thoughts today are these lovely, opinionated souls from the ESCUnited Team:

• Boris: is to ballads as vampires are to garlic
• David: hard to please and has a type, but we haven’t figured out what it is yet
• James: LA’s favourite data analyst
• Rebecca: doesn’t know enough languages to complain about bland lyrics in

As always, it must be stated that:

All opinions stated below belong to the person quoted and do not represent our team’s view as a whole, nor do they represent Matt’s views or those of the ESCUnited community.

Alright, let’s get this show on the road!

1. Chrust – “Tempo”

Boris – 7 – “By all means a diet Vidbir entry that made its way over the Polish border.  It’s good, but not great. “Tempo” is an ironic name, as the song struggles with its pacing. Hyperactive intro into Mid verses into a slow bridge and a fast end, is a confusing sequence of events,  and one that requires several listens to get into. There is a vision here, and I will express my trust in the process with a solid 7.”

David – 6 – “Interesting, I’ll begin with what I didn’t like. That slow and very silent part of the song, absolutely not needed, when the song is this hype and up-tempo. Perhaps the song is also too short, very important to make use of all the time you have. Otherwise, a bit hard to follow, but fascinating and very unique in its style, it successfully awakens one’s curiosity.”

James – 7 – “Poland had dabbled with folk and blending it with modernity before at Eurovision, but Ukraine excelled these past few years and have created the template of showcasing folklore with modern production. Chrust is a solid example of folktronica, but doesn’t blow socks off like Go_A did a couple years back. Chrust runs the risk of repeating Tulia’s fate unless she gets a revamp to kick it up a notch. But overall, as a foreigner looking in, I am glad to see Poland trying out artists doing this sort of thing.”

Rebecca – 8 – “This was a lot darker than I was expecting, but I’m absolutely on board. The chanting is hauntingly beautiful, and the lyrics flow like poetry. And then it gets all soft for a moment, before launching back into the dark chanting?? Great contrast. Also noticed that the song is only about 2:30—room for an intro? An outro? A… dark folk dance break? Curious to see if that extra thirty seconds will be put anywhere.”

Highest Score: 8 (Rebecca)
Lowest Score: 6 (David)
Total Score: 28/40 (7.0 Average)

2. Kuba Szmajkowski – “Pray”

Boris – 4 – “The type of song that turns the words “Imagine Dragons” into a slur. “I pray, waiting for a better day, waiting for the world to change” is the hook in  Kuba’s misguided mediocrity of a song, as if prayer will suddenly transform it into something competitive. The clumsiness of the composition is only matched by the callow, platitude-ridden and weirdly disassociated way Kuba attempts to address the worldly issues he sings about.”

David – 5 – “What a shame, that first minute is so unnecessary. The way the song changes so much in style, for the better, after the first minute. Way too much time wasted there, and interest might be lost too soon. However, we were past that point, nice vocals, nice beat, catchy tune. Why is the song not like that in its entirety?”

James – 4 – “Let’s get the positive out the way – it’s a groovy track that propels the song forward, keeps things moving and ends without wearing out its welcome. Problem is everything else – Kuba’s vocals grate at time especially when he holds his notes, the lyrics of passively waiting for something positive to happen instead of actively doing something about it are a bad theme, and the faux Southern gospel in parts has definitely worn out its welcome at Eurovision by now.”

Rebecca – 7.5 – “This is really pretty! It has a good buildup and good vocals. I love the chorus’ sense of rising tension. I think the gospel-esque backup vocals could be a bit more pronounced to add some more depth to the vocals. As it stands the climax feels a bit lacklustre—I want it to explode more, since the whole song has such a strong buildup and deserves a more impactful payoff. Even still, I like it a lot!”

Highest Score: 7.5 (Rebecca)
Lowest Score: 4 (Boris & James)
Total Score: 20.5/40 (5.125 Average)

3. Justyna Steczkowska – “Gaja”

Boris – 7 – “After a solid THIRTY YEARS, Justyna is ready to return to a Eurovision stage. And I mean, why not? The performances of “WITCH-ER ~ TaroHoro” proved that she still has the vocal chops to compete with the younger bucks. “Gaja” however, is a sparkler you stick in your window sill. It’s a shiny song that draws attention to itself and then fizzles out the second it ends. It’s a fanwank, but it delivered by a woman with commanding stage presence, should deliver Poland another final on silver platter.”

David – 6 – “This is wild! It’s a very cool and fascinating start, and it’s very powerful from the very beginning. The problem here, it doesn’t quite develop throughout the song, and it remains the same very much for its entirety, which weakens the interest. I also dislike the mix of Polish and English, I think it would work better if it’s either one or the other, and preferably in English.”

James – 7 – “They call me Mother, Justyna pretty much proclaims. As gay club eco anthems go, it works to a degree if you excuse the corniness of the metaphor. This will probably win because its message may as well be spelled out in crayon, you’ve got your “Mother!” calling, and vaguely ethnic instrumentation atop a club beat. It works, especially in what has been a largely dour national selection with break-ups galore.”

Rebecca – 5 – “Malta calls her Juno, Poland calls her Gaja. Maybe they’re friends. The dirty beat is cool, but I wish the beat drop into the chorus was dirtier, because right now it feels a bit underwhelming. I’m not in love with this, but I don’t hate it. I think live vocals will convince me if there’s something more here worth paying attention to.”

Highest Score: 7 (Boris & James)
Lowest Score: 5 (Rebecca)
Total Score: 25/40 (6.25 Average)

4. Tynsky – “Miracle”

Boris – 5 – “One of those cerebral, “Profound Introspective Message” ballads over minimalist instrumentation. I have never been a fan of this approach to music – I find it solipsistic and smug. Tynsky’s lyrics – the only reason to care about this song – don’t offer any reason to sympathize with him either. It’s a GenZ-tinged whingefest about not having a direction in his life, delivered with the typical flat nonchalance.”

David – 2 – “I’m bored with this one, if anything, it makes me more depressed and bothered than anything. Not exactly a song I would have on repeat. Vocally, there is some talent there yes, but this is really not me, nor my interest in music.”

James – 5 – “If Michael Bolton in peak shaggy hair day was a downbeat dockyard worker and was unsure of his purpose in life, we’d have Tynsky. Michael Bolton was taken to get a clam pizza by a chauffeur on the American Song Contest, but Tynsky is just sitting and waiting for a miracle. Leonard Cohen he is not. And that’s the downbeat part of it all. We all feel like we’re waiting for something to happen, but it does not. There’s a pointlessness to this whole exercise, like we’re listening to a particularly verbose talker at an AA meeting who doesn’t realize the end of his hurt is all in his own hands.”

Rebecca – 4.5 – “Very soft and pretty, but also very generic. Tynsky’s vocals are good, but I don’t think the song does an adequate job of showcasing them in a way that makes it memorable. I am, however, prepared to eat my words if his live vocals are good. If they have enough power in them I do think it could elevate the whole song.”

Highest Score: 5 (Boris & James)
Lowest Score: 2 (James)
Total Score: 16.5/40 (4.125 Average)

5. Daria Marx – “Let It Burn”

Boris – 3 – “This is one for the misguided souls who believe Eurovision is a woman in a cocktail dress belting at full vital capacity. Sadly, I’m one of those that prefers good music / good showmanship and “Let it burn” really has no ‘redeeming’ ‘qualities’ besides the vocal felaccio. It’s a formulaic power ballad about the generic “fight” the world is in, and vibes more as a third party deliberately inserting themselves into a heated argument and making it about themselves, rather than a statement that actually addresses something profound.”

David – 3 – “I guess it’s fine, I mean, great voice, but… this is really just not for me. I’m personally bored and quickly uninterested with the rest of the song. Sure, the tempo rises and does get slightly interesting, but I’m simply just not overwhelmed by this genre. I’m purely giving points on the vocal capabilities.”

James – 3 – “A bit dangerous to rename yourself Marx in this part of the world? We all know how loaded that name is, the millions traumatized in his name? It feels like only yesterday when Richard Marx’s “Forever Waiting for You” ravaged Eastern Europe in the summer of 1989 like a plague of horny rats. Is Poland over that trauma? Anyway, Daria has a melodramatic break-up ballad for us. Great. I hate to pick on ESL singers for pronunciation, but it’s a bit egregious. Her words meld together and in the chorus it sounds like Daria is belting “Let it Barn,” which may be for a “Stardew Valley” sequel for all we know.”

Rebecca – 3 – “This is the seven hundredth woman singing into one of those old-school microphones I’ve seen this season. I’m really over it. I’m bored. It’s a generic ballad about being strong or something. Does it matter? I don’t feel any real emotion from it, anyway.”

Highest Score: 3 (Everyone)
Lowest Score: 3 (Everyone)
Total Score: 12/40 (3.0 Average

6. Sw@da & Niczos – “Lusterka”

Boris – 8 – “Another one from the diet Vidbir catalogue, but here I would argue that Sw@da and Niczos are definitely attempting to challenge Justyna somewhat. Lusterka is an interesting composition, a strong modernist hip-hop piece with pronounced ethnic influences. It’s certainly verbose enough to be delivered with animo during a live, if Sw@da can pull off the vocals. I don’t think it can pull an upset against Justyna – Gaja is just too bombastic and Poland too rabid- but this could be a niche hit amongst the grungier selection of eurofans, should it go to Switzerland.“

David – 5 – “Use your time damn it! Too short here, it can be heard that more was possible to be added. The beat is quite sick, very nice. I’m not quite sure if I’m sold with the slowdown in the middle of the song, but there’s something great here. Vocals do seem mostly unneeded and that pulls the song down as well.”

James – 8.5 – “Distinctly Polish electropop with a cool rap part and judicious use of English. It’s got themes of paranoia, themes of returning to the country from the city and being given the side-eye. The connection between folk and modernity works especially well here with the vocalist’s style on top of dark, brooding synths and bass instead of acoustic instrumentation.”

Rebecca – 6 – “Dark electrofolk is just such a plus for me, I love the deep, thumping beats. That being said, I want to like this one more than I actually do—it feels very repetitive and lacks a satisfying payoff towards the end. It leaves me wanting much more than I actually got. I definitely don’t hate it, but I need to see it offering me something more to get on board with it.”

Highest Score: 8.5 (James)
Lowest Score: 5 (David)
Total Score: 27.5/40 (6.875 Average)

7. Janusz Radek – “In Cosmic Mist”

Boris – 3 – “One of those weird “half one thing,” “half another thing” vehicles. I suspect Janusz is attempting to vibe a bit like David Bowie with his weird statements about tears and stars and cosmic mist, but who the fuck can tell either way. The disjointed approach doesn’t work – “In cosmic mist” is outright dull in its first 90 seconds and then detonates into a theatrical shriekfest in the latter half, and neither really elicit any emotion on their own. The type of piece needs a charming entertainer as its performer, and not a self-indulgent theatre flop.”

David – 2 – “This is very depressing and lacks any kind of life, and then we enter the last minute where I don’t understand anything anymore. Overall, it’s quite messy and hard to feel the intent here. By the end of the song, there isn’t much to remember either, it’s a struggle to even remember the slightest afterwards. Only the vocal slightly saves something here.”

James – 5.5 – “Only gets going about two-thirds of the way in. Both ponderous and repetitive, but succeeds on atmospherics, blending the celestial and personal as promised. More variation in the underlying and a bit more playfulness in the lyrics – recall what Italo Calvino does with his short stories about celestial objects and human emotions – and Janusz could have had a memorable entry. No lift-off here.”

Rebecca – 7 – “Without the music video to watch, this is a good ballad. Janusz has an interesting voice with a whole lot of emotion in it, and he does a fair bit more belting than I was expecting, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that goes live. The music video, however, adds a very glam performance art aspect to the song that really elevates it. A stage show that works off of that concept would be wonderful, in my opinion. The glitter on his hands and face that he spreads around is the kind of thing that English majors (me) will eat up (overanalyse for meaning). A very potentially powerful package.”

Highest Score: 7 (Rebecca)
Lowest Score: 2 (David)
Total Score: 17.5/40 (4.375 Average)

8. Marien – “Can’t Hide”

Boris – 2 – “Misguided break up ballads are commonplace in these selections, but Gods, what a slog. “Can’t hide” is a tedious number, with a rhythm that plods along cheerfully despite its subject matter, lyrics that easily could have been a text and a subtext so interfering and twee that you’re actively rooting or the ex-boyfriend to sever all contact forever. It’s the musical equivalent of an AITA post where the answer is “yes”. It sucks.”

David – 2 – “A very empty emotional ballad, as in, it feels like it’s trying to hard, to be something I just can’t be. Lyrically, there was nothing that stuck. Vocally is not something extraordinary either and musically very forgettable. It’s a valid attempt, but all of it combined just leads nowhere. It’s really one of those, in through one ear and out through the other.”

James – 6 – “Oy vey, everyone in Poland is breaking up, apparently. Get it together, guys, for the sake of your plummeting birth rates. Anyway, there’s a bit of sweetness tinged with regret buried in this one, so it is not as irredeemable as some of the others in this selection. Indeed, it’s a contemplative three minutes where, due to non-communication, the protagonist wonders where the relationship went wrong and how opening her heart made his indifference worse. I am not sure “Can’t Hide” is the best title given it’s more about her having to adjust to a boy who’s changed for whatever reason (deliberately or not is left unclear), and I also doubt it’s a strong enough composition to be memorable enough in a populist Semi-Final competition format.”

Rebecca – 3 – “Wow, we have a contender for “Most Generic Ballad” of this season right here. I’m so bored. Bored bored bored bored—wait, I’m sorry, how the hell did she just pronounce the word “back”? Now I’m bored and confused.”

Highest Score: 6 (James)
Lowest Score: 2 (Boris & David)
Total Score: 13/40 (3.25 Average)

9. Teo – “Immortal”

Boris – 5.5 – “This “Voice Winner’s First Single” vehicle is by a small margin the best ballad in this ballad hell of a selection. The instrumentation and presentation (which is a cloying, sadsack-y buzzkill) is not my cup of tea. But as a stand-alone song, of a young man fighting for his immortal (in the same meaning as the Evanescence song, yes), is not without charms. This is a real person singing about a real topic – so the message of this song is good. I just think it’s a pity that what is supposed to be a declaration of love and support still sounds like a fucking funerary track.”

David – 3 – “It’s a sweet composition, but I just don’t feel it’s going anywhere. Lovely voice, lovely melody, but a bit too moody and slow. I’m missing some sense of passion, which makes me want to care enough for the song, but instead I’m just falling further and further off, because it doesn’t quite lead me anywhere new.”

James – 1 – “Audio Ambien with a splash of oedipal complex and a break-up thrown in. I am not sure what the point of this dirge is. If you honestly believe “you know I can hurt ya, ‘cause every true love story always got some tragedy,” you’re a sociopath. Teo oscillates between needy and resentful, hating her because she clings to him even when he lies. The second verse is where Teo goes full Norman Bates, with his mother whispering in his ear that he’ll never be good enough for her. Critic’s tip: if you have issues, maybe see a psychologist before airing them at a Eurovision national selection.”

Rebecca – 4 – “What am I supposed to say about this? It’s a ballad. Teo has a good voice, though it borders on drone-y at certain points. The lyrics also have a very man-child, “baby don’t leave me, you have to take care of me” vibe to them that I don’t appreciate.”

Highest Score: 5.5 (Boris)
Lowest Score: 1 (James)
Total Score: 13.5/40 (3.375 Average)

10. Sonia Maselik – “Rumours”

Boris – 7.5 – “Eurotrash is defined as objectively bad, but still enjoyable within the context. “KANT (‘singing’)” is an example of this. “Rumours”, the song Sonia Maselik is hoping to represent Poland with, is another.It’s the type of dank, bootlegged radio pop with questionable English that often pops up in Slavic selections. Kinda fun on its own, but Sonia pushes it off a comedic slope with her chorus. DON’T LISTEN WHAT THEY SAY, MAYBE IT’S A FAKE. I’VE HEARD SOME RUMMUZ AND I’VE HEARD SOME RUMMUZ RUMMUZ. I am DYING to know what the difference between “rumours” and “rumours rumours” is. Are the rumours-rumours even more rumourful? Or maybe they are (sic) a fake? I’m dying to know. That would-be Drag King Sam better imprint on this. It’s the EXACT same type  of LOL incompetence as ‘iknowitsjustaFIIIIGMENT OOOVmyimagination’.”

David – 2 – “Very bland pop song, we’re down to the basics here. Repeating the title repeatedly just to fill the lyrics out, vocally is not that strong or fascinating either, like we’re really down on the simplest of songs here. It is catchy yea, but it’s also hard to reward something this simple. Anyhow, the “rumors” here, are not the best.”

James – 8 – “A silly, light funky pop song with a great hook at the chorus. This is a lightweight entry that could be lifted to a final qualification with some staging and graphics and props that tie to the lyrics. It’s easy to slate bad lyrics, but for simple lyrics, the construction here is commendable. Particularly several lines that start “I’ve heard” or “I hear” and vary slightly. Sounds basic, but it lands the overall theme, as if gossiping is everywhere. Only thing that would make it work better is if Sonia could land a guest feature from Meredith Marks of Real Housewives of SLC, who’s made a meme out of rumors.”

Rebecca – 7 – “A funky bassline is one way to immediately get my attention, but Sonia teases me with it by stopping and starting it before I can get into it. Not fair, Sonia, keep the bass going! I appreciate that the rumours that we refer to in the title are either coming from inside her head, or are that she’s crazy, which is true because she hears voices in her head. Has a real “I’m gonna keep dancing while everything around me is falling apart” vibe which, honestly, I’m digging. Yeah the lyrics are kind of weird at points, and yeah there’s a lot of repetition, but sue me, it’s a bop. This is another song with about 20 free seconds to it as well, so I wonder if there are plans for that?”

Highest Score: 8 (James)
Lowest Score: 2 (David)
Total Score: 24.5/40 (6.125 Average)

11. Dominik Dudek – “Hold The Light”

Boris – 5 – “Eurovision is well in the past when the rest of the world is in 2025 and we are  STILL getting fucking Lewis Capaldi clones and Duncan Laurence derivatives. Cancel the songwriter camps so that we’re no longer subjected to their nonsense. “Hold the light” brings absolutely nothing new to the table (it sounds like a yassified Rag’n’Bone Man track?), but is easy enough to listen to, and the piano cadence gives it some pacing. Compared to the rest of the Polish field, it’s a song with a direction, but I certainly hope the ultimate destination isn’t Switzerland.”

David – 8 – “This somehow, really hits well with me! A touchy song, with some relatable lyrics. Normally I would ignore this, but sometimes you find a gem that sits well with you. A great example of why always give music a chance no matter what. If the song had some deeper tones and was a bit closer to the heart, then it would’ve hit better with me.”

James – 4 – “Some past mistake with a woman haunts Dominik. And we get to suffer because of his whining. It’s repetitive modern pop with the “mmm-hmmm” backing vocals, clapping, and AA confessional lyrics. On a stage where it’s likely world class LEDs will be on offer, judicious use of light is required to pull this off. How they pull off focused use of light without looking cheap and the stage cavernous will be the challenge.”

Rebecca – 5 – “Those first two notes hit, and I’m back in 2018 listening to Cesar Sampson’s “Nobody But You” (Austria 2018). Actually, a lot of that song lines up over this one. What pushes my score for this song down so much is that I literally cannot hear anything but “Nobody But You” for the whole three minutes, so much so that I had that song stuck in my head afterwards instead of this one. There’s no identity to the song beyond its connection to a far superior song, in my opinion, but I admit if I’d never the other song, I would like this a lot more. The only reason my score hasn’t dipped any lower is that“Nobody But You” was one of my top 5 songs from that year, so listening to “Hold The Light” isn’t really a hardship no matter what gets stuck in my head afterwards.”

Highest Score: 8 (David)
Lowest Score: 4 (James)
Total Score: 22/40 (5.5 Average)

The Final Rankings

At the end of the eleventh song, we’ve heard what each reviewer has to say about every Polish hopeful. But who has come out on top?

1. Chrust – “Tempo” (7/10)
2. Sw@da & Niczos – “Lusterka” (6.875/10)
3. Justyna Steczkowska – “Gaja” (6.25/10)

And there it is! The favourite of ESCUnited is Chrust’s “Tempo”, with “Lusterka” and “Gaja” closing out the top three.

Wielki Finał Polskich Kwalifikacji 2025 will choose the Polish entry for Eurovision on February 14, starting at 8:45pm CET.

Agree with our ranking? Think we’re completely wrong in every way? Let us know what #YOU think of MESC 2025 on our socials (@escunited), Discord or at our forum.