Preview: Stella Donnelly at Casa Del Popolo on March 23rd

photo by Pooneh Ghana

By Sun Noor

The Australian songstress is due to make her Montreal debut next week at Casa Del Popolo alongside Faye Webster in support of her debut album, Beware the Dogs. As well, both artists will be joined by the Montreal-based indie rock trio, Yum as openers who released a new EP last year. Fans of indie rock and singer-songwriters are in for quite the gig!

Album artwork for Beware the Dogs

Donnelly’s debut marks her latest full length release since her “Thrush Metal” EP which was released back in 2017. Beware the Dogs explores many themes from a personal standpoint, addressing greater issues while also including a few light-hearted tracks, creating a perfectly balanced body of work. The record features “Tricks,” which Donnelly considers “a bit of a joke song. Auditors are instantly embraced with her captivating high-pitched vocals that complement the melodies and layered guitar riffs throughout the track. She also lets of a few infectious laughter towards the second verse which adds a nice effect. One of the songs that was also featured on her EP called “Boys will be Boys,” is one of the multiple tracks that really stand out on this album. In this acoustic ballad, Donnelly addresses heavier issues such as sexual assault, toxic masculinity and victim-blaming, relating it to a personal story that hold a lot of weight but also transmits an important message in the most direct manner.The record then culminates with the title track, which is characterized by Donnelly’s prominent vocals building up louder to a distorted, guitar heavy outro.

Stream Beware of the Dogs below:

https://open.spotify.com/album/1pKIMs0GEePXjDC2EiYEb7?nd=1

Donnelly culminated her Australian tour last week and will embark on aNorth American tour kicking things off at Washington D.C’s U Street Music Hall this Friday. She will then end this leg at Los Angeles’ Bootleg Theatre on April 6th before making her way to Europe. Click here to view all tour dates and purchase tickets to any of her upcoming shows.

Watch the video for “Tricks” below: