Many who will find themselves chancing upon Daughter’s debut album, If You Leave will be oblivious to the marked evolution of the British trio.
Beginning as lead singer Elena Tonra’s solo project, her Demos EP included the tracks that would later be built upon and included on their most recent releases.
The London trio was officially formed in 2010 after guitarist Igor Haefeli and Tonra met in a songwriting class at college. The pair’s relationship continues to be a much questioned topic in interviews, but more importantly, it has seen the self release of Daughter’s debut EP His Young Heart.
The 2011 EP of heartbroken folk songs led to the addition of fellow classmate Remi Aguilella. Rounding out the band as their drummer, The Wild Youth EP, was released soon after.
Haefeli produced the His Young Heart EP by himself, with Daughter’s first official introduction to the world coming via what has now been popularly phrased as “fucked up folk”.
But with the addition of Aguilella and Ian Grimble on hand to produce The Wild Youth EP, Daughter stepped away from folk and delved into more expansive territories. “I find it very interesting to work with different producers…we wanted the feel of something that came more from us”.
If You Leave continues this trend, with Haefeli explaining that, “we just kinda worked our way to it basically”. It’s something we’ve always had in mind,” he admits.
The Swiss born guitarist sounds more British down the line than anything else. “We’ve always had that atmospheric element,” he continues, “even in the first EP and it just kind of grew from that”.
“I think the album being the most atmospheric one was just us experimenting more and we had less time to think about things, so we just kind of let loose and went a bit crazy with the reverb.”
While time constraints are one thing, the fact that Daughter’s debut LP sounds as cohesive as it does, is quite remarkable given the disjointed recording process. With the tracks being recorded in between tours throughout 2012, Haefeli is quick to admit, “It was not easy”.
“It was a bit like a jigsaw puzzle,” he says. “So by nature we had to record instruments separately,” however by the end of the year the band found time to record three of the songs live. But for most of the recording process, as Haefeli explains, it was similar to that of producing electronic music, “like one layer after the other,” he illustrates.
While the musician may have produced the first EP, working with the likes of Rodhaidh McDonald (The xx, Adele) and Joylon Vaughan, working with Thomas was, as he puts it, “really interesting”.
“We basically did a lot of the work ourselves and then we recorded in our flat together. We worked Joylon and Rodhaidh at different times.”
Haefeli has an interest in production, but he rationalizes that he is not quite sure how invested he is ready to be in that aspect of music yet. He also pointed out that he didn’t want to force his band mates to accept him as their sole producer.
“I find it very interesting to work with different producers,” but for the His Young Heart EP, “it was also that we wanted the feel of something that came more from us”.
Either way, Daughter’s debut effort, in Haefeli’s own words is an “electric album. There’s barely any acoustic guitar,” he explains.
“We twisted things, we tried to mess with the original sounds of things and it’s just a slow burning album,” says the guitarist.
While the band has received positive reviews for the album thus far, Haefeli remarks, “we’re just never completely happy”. The perfectionism of the trio led the musician to declare that they’d never been 100% happy with any song they have recorded. “We don’t want to be that band that just keeps on repeating a formula. But at the same time we also want to stay true to the songs and the message of the songs.”
But he concedes “that you can reach a certain threshold” and that “at the same time doing that too much can ultimately hinder the song and you’ll start chasing your own tale.”
The atmospherics of Daughter may have transformed from one release to the next, but one thing has remained constant. The relatability of Tonra’s lyrics has been an essential factor in the band’s growing fan base.
As she expresses on ‘Amsterdam’, “I was thinking that I should see someone,just to find out that I’m alright” or on ‘Smother’, “I’m sorry if I smothered you”, Tonra’s angst-driven vocals provide a connection point to emotional fragility.
Along with the band’s one-word titles, Tonra keeps her lyrical cards close to her chest. “Elena has this thing where she really wants the listener to make their own interpretations from the lyrics,” says Haefeli.
“It’s this idea of painting the picture,” he continues, “and doing it in one word and then people can take what they want from it.”
Even Haefeli himself, Tonra’s partner, is kept in the dark on what each song is about. The pair’s relationship is a much-frequented topic during interviews.
“I can’t say that we really like mixing the two things, especially talking about it. It’s alright I guess, but we’d rather not talk about it,” Haefeli admits.
The release of If You Leave has meant more and more interview time for the band, a fact that Haefeli describes as “nice.” “We kinda make music for ourselves really. As long as it stays about the music that’s the most important thing for us”.
Although the band have had to endure one radio interview where, as Haefeli puts it, “literally every single question was about us.”
“It was probably the feistiest answer you could have ever gotten from us,” he chuckled.
While the musician may not know exactly what Tonra is singing about, the guitarist relates to her lyrics in his own way. “Well I think Elena is really interested in death and as a kid I was actually terrified by the idea of dying, so I really relate to that and it really speaks to me. “
Regardless of relationship factors, the UK trio are poised to continue to evolve musically in the years to come. “We don’t want to be that band that just keeps on repeating a formula. But at the same time we also want to stay true to the songs and the message of the songs.”
As they continue to do so the importance of the band’s personal lives is likely to diminish in favour of their music. A fact that should please both Daughter and their fans alike.
If You Leave is out now through 4AD/Remote Control, read the Tone Deaf review here. Daughter play this July’s Splendour In The Grass. Dates and details below.
Splendour In The Grass 2013 Dates & Tickets
Friday 26, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July
North Byron Parklands, Yelgun
info at splendourinthegrass.com
Tickets go on sale Friday 26th April
Three day event ticket: $350 + BF
One day event ticket: $140 + BF
Camping pass: $99 + BF
Country Club ticket: $699+BF
