Stress Dolls

Stress Dolls is the moniker of Chelsea O'Donnell, a musician and songwriter from Buffalo, NY. The project's sound has drawn such comparisons as "Joni Mitchell meets Nirvana" and "the love child of Chrissie Hynde and Patti Smith."

In early 2022 she was invited to work with producer Jim Wirt (Fiona Apple, Something Corporate, Incubus) at Superior Sound Studios in Cleveland, OH. After recording a few songs together, including her singles "Body" and "Alone," she was offered a record deal with Sun Pedal Recordings. Post signing, Wirt and O'Donnell recorded several more tracks that went on to comprise her debut album, Queen of No, released in May 2024.

In 2025, O'Donnell founded her own record label, Angry Girl Music, and reissued Queen of No to streaming services.

Stress Dolls takes on several forms live and features a cast of musicians including TJ Luckman (bass), Jordan Smith (lead guitar), Josh English (drums) and Sally Schaefer (violin). In its many iterations, Stress Dolls has shared stages with such acts as USS, Shonen Knife, We Are Scientists, Dan Andriano and Matt Pryor, Tommy Stinson, and Our Lady Peace, and has toured regionally throughout New York state, the Midwest, and Southern Ontario.