After 2022’s Flood, Welsh-Australian singer Stella Donnelly was not sure whether or not she wanted to continue making music. For most artists, such uncertainty may mark the end of a creative chapter in their lives. For Donnelly, that self-doubt became a seed for renewal. Love and Fortune, the latest chapter in the songwriter’s career, is a record born out of hesitation and one of rediscovery.

On the record, Donnelly strips her sound down to soft instrumentals that almost seem to breathe with her. Even the smallest lyric has space to shine and land with immense emotional weight. The arrangements are sparse yet purposeful, aadding even more weight to the album’s content. The opener, Standing Ovation, opens quietly with organs that let Donnelly’s voice take the center stage. It’s about being ghosted. and is quite a powerful track.

Still, not all of Love and Fortune is hushed or restrained. Being Nice injects a burst of bright, melodic indie rock onto the record, pairing breezy guitars with Donnelly’s voice. Beneath its catchy surface lies the singer’s signature wit as she unpacks dark thoughts in an overly optimistic manner. Feel It Change takes a similar approach, with a slight country-tinge as she recalls the dissolution of a relationship and the emotional distress it brings. Baths stands as the emotional centerpiece of the record. It’s a haunting, almost eerie piece that captures Donnelly at her most vulnerable. The track consists of only her voice with a nearly unnoticeable ambient texture in the background. She lays her emotions bare, her voice trembling between hesitation and relief. The accompanying video, where she submerges herself in the sea, mirrors the song’s theme of renewal. It functions as a reminder that sometimes you have to let go in order to start over again.

Meanwhile, Year of Trouble is a piano ballad that is another example of how moving Donnelly’s voice is. As the piano chords step beneath her vocals, the song traces the slow unraveling of heartbreak with a warm and fragile honesty. By the time the album gets to the closing track Laying Low, you’re left questioning if this is Donnelly’s goodbye to music or simply a quiet moment of rest. The song drifts along a bassline and some drums as the artist captures the pain of saying goodbye.

Love and Fortune is an act of stillness and courage. By stripping her music down to gentle instruments and her raw vocals, Stella Donnelly allows every single emotion to breathe, resulting in her most vulnerable and powerful record yet.

order Love and Fortune by Stella Donnelly HERE