Commitment to honesty.
Gena Stone is one of Sydney’s most quietly arresting voices, dealing not in spectacle but in stillness, nuance, and emotional precision. Each track draws you into a narrative with such gentle clarity that the tender blows of her debut EP Screaming Loving land all the harder. You sense them coming and still don’t move out of the way.
The tension between her formal training at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the deeply personal songwriting forged during years spent writing and producing alone positions Stone as a kind of super-indie artist. Her work carries an undeniable artistry, shaped by a slow, organic evolution rather than a single defining moment.
A streaming service user recently added one of her tracks to a playlist called “Sexy, dreamy, indie, synth-pop,” a description that captures part - but not all - of her appeal. Soft keys and ambient textures frame her tremulous, deliberately understated vocals, evoking the intimacy of artists like Adrianne Lenker. Yet Stone’s lyrical roots in self-reflection, vulnerability, and the emotional growing pains of early adulthood set her distinctly apart.
Across the five tracks of Screaming Loving, her commitment to emotional honesty over dramatic narratives is beyond impressive. It’s almost disorienting: hearing your own familiar thoughts - the sting of old bruises made eloquent - spoken back to you. Doubt, disconnection, accountability, growth, forgiveness: this is the thematic world of Gena Stone.
Her excitement at finally sharing a cohesive body of work, and at carving out her place in Sydney’s independent scene, shines through. It’s music to dance (or at least sway) to in front of your mirror. Following last year’s debut single Pistachio, Stone has emerged as a quietly compelling new voice in local music, and I’m waiting with bated breath to see where she leaps next.
Words by Sabine Lee Cook