DAUGHTER – If You Leave
01. Winter
02. Smother
03. Youth
04. Still
05. Lifeforms
06. Tomorrow
07. Human
08. Touch
09. Amsterdam
10. Shallows
“I sometimes wish I’d stayed inside my mother/ Never to come out”
These are very dark and hopeless words-sounding like they would come from a person who is thinking about commiting suicide. The lines are part of Smother– a song taken from DAUGHTER‘s anticipated debut record If You Leave. And they reflect the atmosphere of the album quite well: All ten tracks are filled with deep sadness in a pain- and beautiful way.
If You Leave is an album for broken-hearted people. The best proof for that is Youth. “And if you’re in love, then you are the lucky one/ Cause most of us are bitter over someone” aspirates singer Elena Tonra in the haunting song. It seems like there is no single gleam of hope in the record. Even the faster and brighter beat in Human can’t belie the heavy tearfulness – lyrics like “I think I’m dying here” are simply too embittered and desperate. DAUGHTER‘s emotional music almost makes you cry. Is that a good thing? Or is it overkill? Anyway-despite this deep mourfulness in every song, the album is really beautiful. As already mentioned – beautiful in a painful way. Tonras’ fragile voice just fits perfectly to the discreet and fairly acoustic instruments. Furthermore the ten songs are similiar to each other but still different – they all got a high recognition value. And besides, the tracks are so emotional that you can feel everything the narrator feels – and that is what good music should be like.
With If You Leave the London based trio created an impressive debut record. They manage it to make high emotional and lovely music. The only weakness is that DAUGHTER‘s If You Leave is so sad and hopeless that it might even hurt you pretty much while listening to it.
––