If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Emma Daisy I don't think any song captures Stella Donnelly's unique blend of indie rock, folk, and pop as much as "How Was Your Day?" This new song has a charmingly upbeat sound with verses mostly spoken and verses sung. It's a little too quirky and occasionally noisy to be pop, far too dance friendly to be folk, but too pop to be indie rock. "How Was Your Day?" sits right in the middle of those genres refusing to decisively choose any particular one. This is a really lovely and fun song that anyone not afraid to enjoy a joyful song is going to love. Stella Donnelly says of the new song: “ This is my attempt at building a song out of a very specific dynamic between two monogamously involved people. The verses are just excerpts from real conversations, fragments of what two people talk about when they both know they need to have a real talk but neither wants to be the one to bring it up. This song came out of lockdown and seeing a lot of friends ...

Photo by Olivia Senior We've been very high on Stella Donnelly for a while now. The Australian artist hit the whole Americana meets alt-rock sound that we can't seem to get enough of on her 2019 album Beware of Dogs . Her previous single, "Lungs," went a little more into the world of pop, but "Flood" sees Donnelly back to what we learned about her music. This new song is a little more singer/songwriter than Americana. It's fairly straightforward, but Donnelly makes it captivating with her natural charm. Plus, it's not exactly a fully straightforward alt-rock singer/songwriter track as there is still an odd use of synths that give it kind of a 1950's space age sound at times. This is a fascinating and compelling song that has us even more excited for Donnelly's upcoming album. Stella Donnelly says of her new song: " This song feels like a sad little adventure. I wrote it in the dark depths of a Melbourne winter lockdown where it had been ...

Photo by Olivia Senior Stella Donnelly is the latest indie/folk musician who has veered into a more pop territory, but with her it doesn't feel as out of left field. "Tricks" off of 2019's Beware of the Dogs almost edged into dance territory, but didn't quite make it. "Lungs" is a dance song, but it's still worlds away from the world of Top 40. This is more of an experimental and indie side of dance with at least one foot still planted firmly in the world of indie rock. It's oddly reminding me of when Radiohead first started playing in the world of electronic music, but if that was meant to be fun and not chin stroking music.  Stella Donnelly says of the new song: “ I do love observing human dynamics.  Dynamics between old best friends, or dynamics between housemates, or a relationship where the two people are broken up and haven’t spoken in years. I like getting into the mind of someone who we’ve all been at some poin t.” You can watch the video...

Photo by Poone Ghana Australian radio station triple j has a new artist in every week to play one of their own songs and to cover a song they love. This segment is called "Like a Version," and we obviously love it. Last week saw Stella Donnelly stop in to cover John Paul Young's "Love is in the Air." Yeah, it's the song you're thinking of. Donnelly does the absolute perfect cover version of this 1977 soft rock classic. It's just the right level of cheesy and schmaltzy, but you can tell Donnelly is having a great time singing it and actually loves the song. She nails that cover songs are supposed to be fun and runs with that. I'd recommend watching the video instead of just listening to the song alone. Her enthusiasm is impossible not to get completely sucked into. You can watch Stella Donnelly perform "Love is in the Air" below. For more on Stella Donnelly, check her out on Facebook and Twitter .

We were both huge fans of Stella Donnelly's 2018 EP Thrush Metal , and her full length from earlier this year did not disappoint. Beware of the Dogs is an album of quiet but often angry songs decrying misogyny, middle aged men, and just men being scum in general. Jeff and I are definitely not the target audience for this, but Beware of the Dogs  is such a great album that two middle aged music fans can't help but love it. Donnelly is part of a great Americana and alt-rock movement coming from Australia, and we simply can't wait to hear more from her. Songs of note: "Old Man," "Allergies," "Tricks," and "Boys Will Be Boys"

Photo by Pooneh Ghana This is about a year and a half old, and we missed it the first time around. Since we are overly obsessed with covers and rightly obsessed with Stella Donnelly, we needed to bring you this. Back on New Year's 2017 (or 2018? I never know with New Year's...) Stella Donnelly performed a cover of Cyndi Lauper's iconic "Time After Time" on ABC Australia's New Years Eve special. First, I'm beyond jealous that Australia gets well produced videos of artists on the caliber of Stella Donnelly while we get country stars rapping about their pick up truck or whatever it is that passes for mainstream country these days. The video is just Donnelly and her guitar playing a gorgeous and faithful rendition of "Time After Time." Sure, Donnelly doesn't quite belt it out like Lauper does, but that's hardly a complaint. Donnelly's version is quieter and a bit more twee, but we find that to be basically perfect. You can watch the...

Album of the Week : Artist : Stella Donnelly Album : Beware of the Dogs Quick Description : Debut album from a very buzzworthy artist. Why You Should Listen : We've loved what we've heard from her so far. Overall Thoughts : We hopped on the bandwagon with Thrush Metal early, and to say this was one of our most anticipated releases this year would be an understatement. I don’t really know what I expected from this, but an upbeat, direct, almost-British-indie feeling record was an unexpected surprise for me. This is a really fun record in a lot of ways even if the subject matter in the songs is not always the same tone, and it’s something I want to spend a lot more time with if only because there are clearly so many layers to this. This won’t work for everyone, as I can imagine many listeners being turned off by the tone and presentation, but if you are willing to give this the proper time? This is a real gem. Recommendation : Best of the week. Artist : Xeno and Oa...

Photo by Julia Jacklin As anticipation increases around here for next week's full length debut release from Stella Donnelly, we have a new song from the album to check out. The previous two songs that have been previewed from Beware of the Dogs  have been completely different from each other, and "Tricks" continues that. "Tricks" has a tiny touch of 60's grooviness to it, and it stops just short of being a dance song. For the most part, it's a great folk pop song with some killer indie rock guitar riffs sprinkled throughout. And, being a Stella Donelly song, the playfulness of the song does fit the subject matter. According to the press release, "Tricks" "...  is a deceptively catchy jab at racist Australian pride and the absurdity of the music industry."  You can watch the video (co-directed by fellow Australian musician (and If It's Too Loud... favorite) Julia Jacklin!) below. Beware of the Dogs  will be out on March 8 via...

Photo by Pooneh Ghana If we were excited about the upcoming full length debut from Stella Donnelly, "Lunch" has whipped us into a frenzy. Her previous single, "Old Man," was more of a pop song than the more folk side we had expected from Donnelly. "Lunch" is back more on the folk side of things, especially at the start. As the song builds, it becomes much more layered and complex, but in a very quiet way. The song is about being a touring musician and being away from home for extended periods of time to the point that everything feels different when you come back. As Donnelly sings:  “ You’ve got plots and persuasions and time to explain/But I’ve only got time for lunch/And I get homesick before I go away .” It's a heartbreakingly stunning song, made more so by Donnelly's voice. She really croons on "Lunch" in a way we haven't heard before, but I think we'll all want to in the future. You can watch the video for "Lunch...

Photo by Pooneh Ghana We were both huge fans of Stella Donnelly's debut EP, Thrush Metal . Obviously we're going to be thrilled in March when her debut album is released. Right now we can check out the first single off that album now. "Old Man" is a little smoother than the songs off Thrush Metal.  It's a little less folk and a bit more pop. It's still a great singer/songwriter release. Donnelly is almost crooning in her Australian accent, and the songs has an almost slinky or seductive feel. Of course, then you listen to the lyrics about a groping, creepy old man (hence the title) and your skin begins to immediately crawl. "Old Man" is a great step in a slightly new direction, and we can't wait to hear the rest. You can watch the video for "Old Man" below. Beware of Dogs, the debut album from Stella Donnelly, will be out March 8 on Secretly Canadian. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Stella Donnelly, check out her ...

Photo by Zak Kaczmarek Stella Donnelly began her career in music in high school where she sang Green Day songs in her band. The western Australia artist has come quite a long way since then with the release of her debut single, "Boys Will Be Boys." This is an important, haunting song. It's a very sparse folk style song, with an accompanying video that should be watched along with the song. As Donnelly told NPR Music:  “ ’Boys Will Be Boys’ was written in late 2016 and  is an attempt at making sense of society's tendency to blame the victims of sexual assault and rape and make excuses for the perpetrators. Writing this also helped me work through things that had happened to not only my friends but to me as well, it helped me relieve a lot of the shame that victims are so often forced to feel in silence." The song, although beautifully performed, is one of the most uncomfortable listens you'll experience in a long time. You can watch the video for "B...