Flood (Stella Donnelly album)

Last updated
Flood
Flood Stella Donnelly.jpg
Studio album by
Released26 August 2022
Recorded2021
Studio
Genre Indie rock
Length38:54
Label Secretly Canadian
Producer
  • Stella Donnelly
  • Jake Webb
  • Anna Laverty
Stella Donnelly chronology
Beware of the Dogs
(2019)
Flood
(2022)
Singles from Flood
  1. "Lungs"
    Released: 10 May 2022 [1]
  2. "Flood"
    Released: 21 June 2022 [2]
  3. "How Was Your Day?"
    Released: 3 August 2022 [3]

Flood is the second studio album by Welsh-Australian musician Stella Donnelly, released on 26 August 2022 by Secretly Canadian. It was written while travelling around Australia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, with its lyricism a product of "hard months of introspection, and a lot of transition". Flood was supported by three singles and an international tour from September 2022 until April 2023.

Contents

The album received critical acclaim and peaked at number 29 on the ARIA albums chart. In 2023, Flood was shortlisted for the Welsh Music Prize. [4]

Background

Following the success of her 2019 debut studio album Beware of the Dogs , Donnelly moved around the country amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote as much as 43 songs during the travel. [5] She became obsessed with birdwatching and became an ambassador for BirdLife Australia in 2021. [6]

Flood is described by Donnelly as the product of "months of risky experimentation, hard months of introspection, and a lot of transition". The songwriting is set to involve discussion of "relationships, be them familial, romantic or platonic", with the artist explaining her interest in "observing human dynamics". [5]

Release and promotion

Singles

On 10 May 2022, Donnelly premiered lead single "Lungs" live on Triple J, and announced the release date for Flood of 26 August 2022. [7] A music video for the song was also released, directed by herself and Duncan Wright. [8] The title track "Flood" was released as the second single on 21 June 2022. [9] Third single "How Was Your Day?" was released on 3 August 2022. [10]

Tour

Donnelly embarked on the Flood World Tour on 11 September 2022, but performed two legs around Europe prior, supporting Australian band Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever on their tour for 26 shows. The first leg of the Flood World Tour consisted of 14 shows in North America from September to October. [11] She travelled to the United Kingdom and Ireland to perform nine shows in November, and then seven across Europe. [12] Donnelly then played five shows in Japan and Seoul from November to December 2022. [13]

Beginning in February 2023, the Australian leg of the tour had a number of shows in New South Wales cancelled due to medical issues. [14] She concluded the tour on 1 April 2023 in Margaret River, Western Australia, having completed almost 70 shows in total. [15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 79/100 [16]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]
And It Don't Stop A− [18]
The Line of Best Fit 9/10 [19]
Paste 8.2/10 [20]
Pitchfork 7.7/10 [21]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [22]

According to Metacritic, Flood has received "generally favourable reviews". [23] Laura Snapes of Pitchfork praised the album for exploring "how we seek and create safety, which she essays with captivating tenderness". [21] Rhian Daly of NME , in a four-star review, called it a "beautiful, thought-provoking" album, containing "soft, lush pieces that deep-dive into life's everyday moments and turn them into something extraordinary". [22] Writing for The Guardian , Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen called Flood "awash with vivid imagery", "deeply personal" and wrote "while Flood is overall darker than the musician's past work, there's still a lot of joy to be found". [17]

List of appearances on year-end lists
PublicationListRankRef.
Far Out 50 Best Albums of 2022
38
[24]
Gigwise 51 Best Albums of 2022
33
[25]
Under the Radar 100 Best Albums of 2022
20
[26]

Track listing

All tracks written by Stella Donnelly; "Move Me" co-written by Joe Russo. All tracks produced by Donnelly and Anna Laverty, unless otherwise noted.

Flood track listing
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Lungs"
  • Stella Donnelly
  • Jake Webb
3:31
2."How Was Your Day?" 2:32
3."Restricted Account" 4:08
4."Underwater" 4:57
5."Medals" 4:05
6."Move Me" 3:07
7."Flood"Donnelly3:43
8."This Week" 2:52
9."Oh My My My" 3:13
10."Morning Silence"Donnelly2:10
11."Cold"
  • Donnelly
  • Webb
4:36
Total length:38:54

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Promotional

Charts

Chart performance for Flood
Chart (2022)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [27] 29
Scottish Albums (OCC) [28] 56
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [29] 13

Release history

Release history and formats for Flood
RegionDateFormatCatalogueLabelRef.
Various26 August 2022Not applicableSecretly Canadian [30] [31]
AustraliaSC432 [32] [33]
Various9 September 2022

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References

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