Disaster, dilemma, gloom and an absolutely dreadful time: It’s what Daughter do. And to be frank, they do it way too well for you to not be at least a little bit concerned about the band members’ wellbeing.
Daughter, the London based trio consisting of vocalist Elena Tonra, Swede Igor Haefeli, and Frenchman Remi Aguilella, have been making listeners tearful and creating atmospheric balladry since 2010. It is with Not To Disappear, their sophomore LP, that the band set about making you feel as miserable as possible, in the most pleasant way possible.
While the band’s sound could definitely draw comparisons with another London trio (The xx), what Daughter has created on Not To Disappear is unique and profoundly fresh. The title of opening track “New Ways” is a little bit misleading, in that its slow build and crescendo is exactly what you’ve come to expect from Daughter, as the pulsating drumming of Aguilella commands the focal point of the track. And honestly, there’s absolutely nothing wrong this. The enchanting and hypnotic “Numbers” follows on from “New Ways”, as Tonra’s vocals take you to another realm. You can almost picture the live delivery of “Numbers”, with Tonra looking wistfully distant out over the crowd.
“How” is the Everest of the album. It is here that Daughter have put their best assets forward and created something that will almost definitely be the closer in their sets or the soundtrack to every indie flick in the next five years. The guitar work of Haefeli is flawless, while Tonra is at her mysterious best. Not to be outdone, following track “Mothers” comes in a close second on the top tracks of Not To Disappear.
One thing you notice about Not To Disappear is that where their debut album If You Leave may have been a little one dimensional in its approach, Daughter have embraced and adopted a wider range of influences through not only their lyrics but also their music. Tonra has moved away from her deconstruction of love, distraught and downright gloominess, and expands her topics to encompass death, life, time and health. One of the best things to appear on Not To Disappear is “No Care”. Upon first listen, it’s almost early Bloc Party-esque, much in the same vein as “Hunting For Witches” and “The Prayer”. It’s delicious, really.
While it’s still a heavy album touching on love and loss, Not To Disappear is so much more than this. All the artists within Daughter have grown up somewhat since their debut LP, and it goes to show. Not To Disappear is Daughter at their best. Elena, Igor and Remi have all come into their own and created an album that could well and truly be a reference point when future musicians talk about the albums that shaped who they are.
Review score: 8.3 out of 10.
Not To Disappear is out now.
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