How a Break From Music Led to Stella Donnelly’s New Album

Stella Donnelly has released Love and Fortune, the long-awaited follow-up to 2022’s Flood.

Out today via Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control, a press release described Donnelly’s album as “a deeply personal and anchored body of work that traces the journey back to herself after a period of profound change.”

There was good reason for the gap between records: Love and Fortune arrives after a period of quiet reflection for the Melbourne-based singer-songwriter, a necessary endeavour following several intense years of touring.

Speaking with Rolling Stone AU/NZ, Donnelly opened up about her transformational past few years.

“I got to the end of touring the last album and I was thinking about writing another record and I kept trying to music, but I just wasn’t liking it. I wasn’t enjoying what I was creating. I wasn’t resonating with it deeply,” she told us.

Fearing she was only writing songs to “service my career,” Donnelly was left with a lot of questions.

“And so I decided to kind of like quit, I say with inverted commas, and just kind of take a break and be curious about what would happen next and see whether I did enjoy music and writing songs,” she explained. “And so yeah, I quit music, got a job in a bakery, just like kind of just had a pretty normal life for about a year.

“And as it happens, I started writing songs again. And I think that break was — I’m so grateful for it now. So yeah, I’m super happy to be back playing music again.”

You can read our full interview with Donnelly next week.

Love and Fortune features the singles “Feel It Change”, which premiered on Huw Stephens’ BBC 6 Music show, and the double A-side “Baths” / “Standing Ovation”, Donnelly’s first new music since Flood.

Flood made it into the top 30 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It also earned a four-star review from Rolling Stone AU/NZ.

“It’s been three years since the stunning debut from Stella Donnelly, Beware of the Dogs, but the absence has only sharpened her sound and introspective songwriting,” we wrote. 

“The jangling indie-pop gems we’ve come to expect remain, but there are intriguing new layers elsewhere… With its thoughtful mixture of sonic experimentation and classic touches, Flood achieves exactly what a sophomore album should.”

Stella Donnelly’s Love and Fortune is out now via Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control Records.