Stella Donnelly’s Beware of the Dogs is both a great example of how the singer-songwriter genre can, indeed, move past unapologetic hedonism (towards literally anything else, really) and of how to channel into music one’s dissatisfaction with whatever societal problems currently affect you without resorting to preaching, while avoiding trivializing the issue for the sake of couching it into an appealing, ready-for-consumption single.
On that note, Beware of the Dogs’ most consumer-friendly single, “Tricks,” succeeds at being a cheerful, optimistic track, while at the same time skewering the often-misogynist bar-going population of Australia that would heckle Donnelly during performances, demanding familiar songs and covers. In that sense, “Tricks” acts as a kind of a thesis for Beware of the Dogs. In much the same way that Courtney Barnett successfully mines the mundane for content, Donnelly turns her focus toward the interactions she’s had with society. It’s not all composed of criticisms, but those criticisms stand out clearly regardless.
The strongest of these being the crux of “Boys Will Be Boys,” a holdover from Donnelly’s 2018 Thrush Metal EP. Donnelly croons on the folk-tinged ballad, attacking the cavalier attitudes of rape apologists with what quickly reveals itself as a (frankly justified) scathing blast of contempt. “Like a mower in the morning, I will never let you rest / you broke all the bond she gave you, time to pay the fucking rent.”
“Boys Will Be Boys” is followed up by “Lunch,” a reflection of the homesickness and isolation Donnelly apparently feels while touring. Though the change in narrative tone is stark, Donnelly shows off a range and emotionality of vocals throughout the track which is only rivaled by perhaps “U Owe Me,” a later track on the record that sees Donnelly air her grievances about a missed job payment. Perhaps not the most groundbreaking of topics, sure, but the song is noteworthy particularly because of Donnelly’s delivery on the comparatively bare-bones instrumental.
At 13 tracks, there’s a wealth of instances on Beware of the Dogs which highlight just how powerful of a vocalist Donnelly really is, especially tracks like the stealthily catchy “Allergies,” on which Donnelly oscillates between a conversational voice and a much more committed, impressive upper register which by itself is enough to tie the track together.
However, the record’s comparatively lengthy run time does work against it every now and then, due less to the appearance of an underwhelming track, and more to the emergence of valleys which don’t pull as much of our attention as the highlights on the album.
That said, Beware of the Dogs is broad enough to include at least one gem for everyone.
