Daughter - If You Leave

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 29 / 6 / 2013

---

Daughter is a hotly-tipped London based three-piece and consists of Elena Tonra, Igor Haefeli and Remi Aguilella. The songs are written by Elena, and ‘If You Leave’, their debut album which has come out on 4AD, follows on from two indie EPs, ‘His Young Heart’ and ‘The Wild Youth’. Both of these EPs feature four songs each, but only one song is revisited for this debut album. Daughter now have a proper budget behind them, and in doing this have a much bigger sound. For ‘If You Leave’ they have developed a Florence and the Machine groove which is a shame, as their earlier works hinted at a more stripped-down Beth Orton/Mazzy Star angle. ‘Winter’, which kicks the album open, however, has the sound of a band that knows its own destiny. They have a complex sound that is both minimal and expansive at the same time. ‘Smother’, the first single for 4AD, was limited to a mere six hundred copies on 7 inch only. It has more of Daughter’s original sound and minimal in tone has room to the let the music talk around every word of the lyrics, which are sung by Elena in a heavenly manner. ‘Youth’, the only revisit, begins in a stripped-down manner, but becomes more progressive as it develops. ‘Still’ is soft and calm, almost humble as a hymn, and again lush and beautifully arranged. ‘Lifeforms’ has a softly-plucked guitar, which assists a hushed vocal while the backing fits gently into place. ‘Tomorrow’ rocks gently, is well-paced, soft but elegant and has a vocal that is as fragile as silk. ‘Human’, the second 7 inch off this album, has more of an upbeat vibe to it. It is like they invited a party into the studio to have fun with the band, and it recalls Kate Bush in an upbeat mood. ‘Touch’ is again almost holy in sound, and pulls off once more being very minimal and lush in its arrangement. ‘Amsterdam’ recalls Beth Orton during her ‘Trailer Park’-era. ‘Shallows’ ends the album, and, almost seven minutes long, builds slowly. The instrumentation behind Elena’s vocals shine brightly, building up into a wonderful wall of solid musicianship. A stunning debut album.

Track Listing:-

1 Winter
2 Smother
3 Youth
4 Still
5 Lifeforms
6 Tomorrow
7 Human
8 Touch
9 Amsterdam
10 Shallows

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/ohdaughter
http://ohdaughter.com/
https://twitter.com/ohdaughter
https://www.youtube.com/user/ohdaughter

Label Links:-

http://www.4ad.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fourad/
https://twitter.com/4AD_Official
https://plus.google.com/explore/4AD

Post A Comment

---

Comment

Name

your name

Location

ie London, UK

Submit

Check box to submit

Adam Coxon
Adrian Janes
Adrian P
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Carl Bookstein
Chris O'Toole
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston

Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dixie Ernill
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank

Keith How
Kimberly Bright
L. Paul Mann
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart
Malcolm Carter
Marie Hazelwood
Mark Rowland
Nick Dent-Robinson
Nicky Crewe
Owen Peters
Richard Lewis

Shirley Procter
Spencer Robertshaw
Steve Kinrade
Steve Miles
Tommy Gunnarsson
Zena Grieg