THREE winters on from their 2013 debut, London indie trio Daughter release a sophomore album made in a New York summer but with the icy grip of olden Januaries still frosting singer Elena Tonra's lips.
Recorded with Animal Collective, Deerhunter and The War On Drugs producer Nicolas Vernhes, Not To Disappear builds on the template of Igor Haefeli's desolate guitars and Tonra's tales of torment, trouble and heartbreak, but now break free of the overwrought calculation of If You Leave.
Misery, melancholia and sadness still pervade Daughter's wounded songs of loneliness, laceration and suffering, but Tonra's often introspective lyrics now carry a stream-of-conscious candour on the fragile likes of New Way, Numbers and Alone/Without You. Best of all is Doing The Right Thing, an account of a descent into dementia, told from the desperate perspective of her grandmother, fully aware of her decline.
Significantly too, Daughter have a new confidence that finds them stretching out on the waspish No Care, a counter to the bleakness, which Tonra should explore further.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here