About Stress Dolls

Stress Dolls is the moniker of Chelsea O'Donnell, an alt/pop/rock artist from Buffalo, NY.

O'Donnell began playing around Western New York in 2013, initially calling herself Wolf and eventually forming a band. After releasing one EP, the group went through a few different line-ups and, in time, changed their name to Stress Dolls. In the Spring of 2016 the band recorded a self-titled EP at GCR Audio and released the recording later that same year. Over the next several months they performed in Buffalo as well as neighboring cities and towns, and opened shows for touring acts such as Shonen Knife, We Are Scientists, and USS.

Due to differing pursuits the band split in early 2017, but O'Donnell decided to keep playing under the name Stress Dolls. She made a move to Nashville, TN but wasn't even there a year before chronic health issues she had been struggling with - Crohn's disease and gastroparesis- sent her to the hospital to undergo a feeding tube procedure. Following the surgery she moved back to Buffalo, and after a period of recovery, began writing, performing, and recording again. Largely due to the tentative nature of her health, O'Donnell established Stress Dolls as a solo act in order to decrease stress and go at her own pace.

From 2019 to 2021 O'Donnell independently recorded and released new music, and in early 2022 she was invited to work with Jim Wirt (Jack's Mannequin, Something Corporate, Incubus) at Superior Sound Studios in Cleveland, OH. After recording several songs together, including her upcoming single, "Body," she was offered a record deal with Sun Pedal Recordings.