Stella Donnelly: Beware of the Dogs

review by Kyra Bruce

Stella Donnelly comes out of the gate swinging on her sophomore EP “Beware of the Dogs”. The supremely talented aussie lays out her whole life on the record, nothing is off limits; masturbation, shitty jobs, sexual assault, the me too movement, and much more.  

She uses her conversational tone to spread very important messages through songs like “Boys Will Be Boys” where she sings, “Why was she all alone wearing her shirt that low they said, "Boys will be boys" deaf to the word no”. This song in particular is difficult for me to get through without shedding a tear. Donnelly has mastered the art of writing a song about such a difficult topic and pointing out the hypocrisy of the “she shouldn’t have been wearing that” view. 

Donnelly also uses songs like “Old Man” to highlight the me too movement and the importance of not allowing abusive behavior. The singer bellows, “your personality traits don't count if you put your dick in someone's face” and you are reminded of the importance of the song you are dancing to. Donnelly has a super power for getting you to groove to very important political topics. However, it’s not all politics on the album so if that is not your cup of tea, don’t fret! Donnelly delivers some incredible danceable tracks, my personal favorite being “Tricks”. 

Another superpower that Donnelly holds is her stage presence. Anyone who has watched Stella Donnelly perform live (on video or in person) can tell you just how much stage presence she has. Just her and a guitar on stage and she can deliver such a powerful and fun performance it is hard to believe. 

Stella Donnelly is the queen of every 20-something woman and the queen of us all really. Her songs are so relatable to everyone who has ever been through a break-up, a horrible job, sexual assault, or anything at all. If you haven’t heard her debut I feel bad for you! Give it a spin whenever you can or you’re missing out!