Stella Donnelly: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Jan. 22, 2019, Robin Hilton When Stella Donnelly showed up for this Tiny Desk performance with just her guitar in hand, she immediately won the office over with her broad smile, warmth and goodnatured sense of humor. It s the kind of easygoing, openhearted spirit that makes her one of the most affable live performers you ll see. While there s no doubting her sincerity, she s also got a disarming way of making her often dark and brutal songs a little easier to take in. For this set, she performed entirely new and, as of this writing, unreleased songs from her upcoming fulllength debut, Beware of the Dogs. Opening with the title cut, Donnelly smiled cheerfully through the entire performance while reflecting on the horrors that often lurk beneath the surface of seemingly idyllic lives. This street is haunted like a beast that doesn t know its face is frightening to behold, she sings. All the painted little gnomes, smiling in a line, trying to get your She follows with U Owe Me a song