Chicago – After releasing the critically acclaimed debut If You Leave in 2013, British indie rock trio Daughter is back with their sophomore album Not To Disappear (4AD/Glassnote). After working out the fruit of the album in London, singer and guitarist Elena Tonra, guitarist Igor Haefeli, and drummer Remi Aguilella spent a summer in NewYork recording with Nicolas Vernhes (Deerhunter, War On Drugs, Animal Collective) at his Rare Book Room studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, resulting in a brilliant ten track record, co-produced by Vernhes and Haefeli. Tonra lays bare her innermost thoughts, and much like the arresting painting* used for the album artwork, upon further examination, discoveries are revealed in the evocative, glazed layers. Not To Disappear is a kaleidoscope of emotions brought about by abstract and experimental sounds and a mix of celestial and throaty vocals.

The album opens with “New Ways,” immediately exposing the journey Not to Disappear has in store: a visceral, conceptual landscape, filled with enthralling beats. Those beats will meet glistening guitars in “How” and “To Belong.”

Last year Daughter released the single “Doing The Right Thing,” along with a weighty music video by Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard, depicting the heartbreak of dementia, capable of coaxing tears from doleful eyes. Even without the visuals, “Doing The Right Thing” pulls at heartstrings with its intense lyrics and bittersweet melodies.

Following the release of “Doing The Right Thing,” Daughter unveiled the video for “Numbers.” The second video in the Not To Disappear film trilogy, based on the short story ‘Windows,’ one of three works of fiction written by Stuart Evers. The song is caked in heavy drums. Tonra sings, “I feel numb / Make me better.”

At first listen, it’s easy to let the beauty of the music wash over the lyrics, but upon further listening of Not To Disappear, the remarkable strength of the writing permeates. This is especially true for “Mothers.” Anyone who has a mother who critiques, presumably with good intentions, this verse speaks truth: “The provider of that constant sting they call love.” At this rate, Tonra is set to become the PJ Harvey of her generation.

I couldn’t help but reflect on the various reasons I related so much to this album. I’m a single woman, in my thirties, with tales of failed relationships. I live alone. I have a rocky relationship with my mother. My grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s. I could go on and on. If I were a man would I appreciate Not To Disappear as much? What if I was married, with children? What if I had yet to experience the loss of a loved one? Perhaps that may be the weakness of Not To Disappear? Though, there are songs that are definitely relatable to many, like “No Care.” The fastest paced of the lot, reminiscent of Radiohead’s OK Computer days, “No Care” asserts what we’ve all surely felt at some point or another: “I don’t care anymore / I’m too drunk to fight.” And well, pretty much everyone knows the sting of heartbreak. There’s also “Fossa” and the self-doubt Tonra sings of that we all allow to creep in and out of our heads. Tonra whispers, “Said the wrong thing, remembering the image I was trying to project to you / Casting illusions, think I’m losing my head.” At close to seven minutes, the 80s peek through the layers of synths and vocals in “Fossa.” The occasional bursts of energy play like manic highs.

“Made Of Stone” closes out the album. While it echoes “Numbers,” speaking of numbness, it certainly doesn’t hold back, giving off a myriad of emotions with gentle guitar pickings, evoking melancholy, with tinges of hope, that can easily turn frowns into smiles, no better than the final exhalation: “You’ll find love, kid. It exists.”

Not to Disappear is due out January 15. It can be purchased on iTunes. Daughter will be touring Europe and North America this Winter and Spring. A list of dates is available on the band’s Facebook page.

*Album artwork by Sarah Shaw, titled The World is Spinning Around.

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Sarah Hess

At the age of six, Sarah Hess discovered True Blue by Madonna. This resulted in her spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush microphone, belting out "La Isla Bonita" off key. Her love for music only intensified over the years thanks to her parents; her mother exposed Sarah to The Jackson Five and had her hustling to the Bee Gees, while her father would play her albums like 'Pet Sounds' and 'Some Girls' from start to finish, during which he'd lecture on and on about the history of rock & roll. Sarah would eventually stumble upon rap and hip-hop, then punk and alternative, and fall madly in love with Jeff Buckley and film photography.

After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.


You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.

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