Album Review: Daughter - If You Leave
- Written by Peri Daley
If You Leave is the debut album from London based trio Daughter. Although it's mostly a thing of damaged beauty, this record at times it feels like it is hiding something much more menacing. It’s so damaged and it’s so raw that it actually becomes quite frightening.
Vocalist Elena Tonra's voice gives you a sensation of comfort and safety, but is sometimes haunted, sometimes forceful and driven; tonally a confusing mix of emotion. Frail and fragile, her singing is the essence of vulnerability. Tonra’s pain, along with the quite beautifully orchestrated music provided by guitarist Igor Haefeli and percussionist Remi Aguilella, work together in complete harmony throughout. The instrumentation complements Tonra’s vocals perfectly. The opening track ‘Winter’ immediately brings you into the depths of the singer's deep sadness; is this just a young girl crying out to be loved again? Lyrics such as “When the sun comes up, we’ll be nothing but dust” betray a heart wrenching pain that is far more sinister than a mere bad break up. She’s begging for tomorrow to be here, begging to be free. ‘Tomorrow’ is powerful, it’s moving.
“I’m dreaming of strangers kissing me in the night” from 'Touch’ opens up this vulnerability just a little bit more. ‘Human’ is the most captivating of these tracks, bringing a more upbeat sound to the record, along with a soothing vocal line lost in the dark. Lyrics like “despite everything I’m still human” show a hope in this young girl to love again, but the track ends with the line “I think I’m dying here”; her hopes are broken and you’re brought back, spiralling into despair.
“I’m a flying kite in the breeze” she sings on 'Amsterdam'; these words seem innocent but in a city full of sin it's easy to come across the hidden meaning. Escaping from the pain, if only for a little while. Every track has outstanding lyrics, this record is beautifully if depressingly written; we wouldn't recommend drinking a bottle of gin whilst listening. The most painful lyric of all comes from ‘Shiver’… “I sometimes wish I’d stayed inside my mother, never to come out”
Tonra’s elegiac lyrics are utterly heart-breaking and captivate throughout the record. If You Leave is a debut not to be missed, one of the most emotionally captivating records you’ll ever hear. It wants to love again, but for now, only darkness, only despair will do.
If You Leave is out now and available from amazon and via iTunes.