After sixteen years away from music, Donné Restom has returned with Anatomy of Heart — a seven-track album that exists as a deliberate act of resistance against the content machine that dominates contemporary art-making.

Created over five years in collaboration with guitarist Aaron Flower, the album was recorded in a backyard music shed on the Central Coast without fancy equipment, industry gatekeepers, or an algorithm determining which songs would resonate with audiences.

“In a world where art has become synonymous with content, Anatomy of Heart exists to remind us that art takes time. The process requires patience. It requires community. It requires collaboration across different mediums and skills. Making an album this way — slowly, intentionally, with artists you trust — is a beautiful thing. It’s also increasingly rare,” Restom says.

Restom’s voice carries the lineage of Etta James and classic R&B singers — big, unapologetic, earned through living. The album explores love in all its complexity: heartbreak, liberation, surrender, and the slow work of knowing yourself. Each song unfolds differently on repeated listens. The album demands attention rather than consumption.

The visual world of Anatomy of Heart was shaped by photographer Syl Marie, visual artist Eddie Jame, Shibari artist Barefoot Juliette and award-winning filmmakers Amelia Foxton and Glenn Fraser of Ninth Circle Entertainment, along with Restom’s own digital collage practice. The music was brought to life by drummer Evan Mannell, cellist Oliver Miller, viola player James Eccles, and cellist Anita Gluyas. The album also features The OB3 — Aaron Flower on guitar, Matt Lamb on bass, and Toby Hall on drums — on the track Black Doggy, alongside Justin Fermino on Tenor Sax. The album was mixed by Lee Groves in the UK and mastered by Michael Lynch.