The Town Of Complacence

Stella Donnelly “Mean to Me”

There’s a lot of lovely songs in the world written about people who don’t deserve such beauty, and “Mean to Me” is almost definitely one of them. Stella Donnelly is singing about a failing relationship with someone who barely seems to like her, and is just dragging her along out of convenience. Even if you’ve never been in this relationship, you’ve seen it from the outside. This happens allllll the time. Donnelly’s vocal performance seems to take that into account – there’s something in her phrasing that comes off as a bit self-aware and knowing – but more than anything, it’s sweet and vulnerable and affectionate. This isn’t sung from the perspective of the relationship actually being over, it’s right there in the thick of it, right before the ending. There’s a bit of pleading in her voice, trying to make a case for better treatment. The must gutting bit is how wounded she sounds to be kicked around like this, particularly after the gorgeous, wordless bridge. The statement “you’re so mean to me” comes out sounding a bit like an incredulous question.

Buy it from Bandcamp.