Nope, we aren’t talking about the Band Daughtry, which gave us the hit track “No Surprise” back in 2009. Well, I needed to clear this out because most of my acquaintances ended up thinking I was recommending this rock band. At the same time, actually, I meant the indie band based in England led by the beautiful and talented Elena Tonra.
Her band(formed in 2010) has successfully produced poignant tracks that are a musical blend of melancholy, memories of unrequited love, and existential ennui. The band has been around the music scene for almost a decade, but they haven’t reigned with mainstream success. To be frank, even though their music has been featured in numerous tv shows with impressive views on Youtube now, somewhere it still feels that groups like Cigarettes After Sex are the only stereotypical norm for indie music in many audiences' mind. (Daughter still feels underrated, aarrgghh).
So, yeah, in case you haven’t heard this wonderful band, you DEFINITELY shouldn’t miss out on these tracks. And if you already are a frequent listener of Daughter, there’s no harm in revisiting, is there?
Youth
When you type daughter on YouTube alongside the query “band,” Youth will be the first track that comes up. After all, THIS is the gem that brought Daughter to mainstream audiences because still today, even if listeners are aware of this track, even if they haven’t heard every song from their album over the years.
On the first listen, the song just hits the spot with the sublime and simple lyrics that echoes the lingering pain of a failed relationship. Gradually it reflects the futile love most of us experience during our younger and vulnerable years. Accompanied by the catchy drum beat and Elena's voice, Youth almost acts like a band-aid for the lingering torment inside of us.
Shallows
Shallows is another heart-wrenching track with a vibe that makes you want to have a drag while spinning stagnant in the silence of the night. It presents hopelessness, a lingering fear with its own unspoken depth.
The chorus builds up with the drum's beating, and the melancholy pervades the listeners' ears. Within its simplicity and moment of pauses in the track, the beauty starts to form haunting imagery.
Shallows are like a cry of pain that prevails during the beautiful moment one fears to let go all of a sudden and the outcome that can be devastating if that happens.
Doing the right thing.
The first two tracks are included in Daughter’s debut studio album, and most of them deal with the theme of scars left by someone we love. In the second album( where this track is included), Daughter contemplates the so-called relationship's existential nature, even if it ends up turning right.
And this track gives the gist of this lingering theme of the challenges that lovers will deal with over time and how it’s all doomed to end up on a gloomy note. For instance, at one point, the lyrics go.
And when it's dark
I'll call out in the night for my mother
But she isn't coming back for me
'Cause she's already gone
But you will not tell me that
As you hear this verse and watch the official video of the track( that features an older woman who has Alzheimer's), you get the bleak reality that despite finding love, the happily ever after scenario is all just a myth.
All that I wanted
Ok, I WANT YOU to hear the youtube version of “All I Wanted” shot in Asylum Chapel, London, alongside a choir. The song was made for the game “Life Is Strange,” and let’s say the version down below is way lot better than the original album audio.
The video is simple, and the sound is more dreamy, especially due to the backdrop of supporting vocals. And if you just lay down, put on your headphones, and start playing this track, the sadness and beautiful melancholy starts rushing down your veins.
The song revolves around being meaningful to someone in life, and the recurring absence one feels inside of someone close to us, and the pain of not being their first choice.
The simplest desires of every one of us, our emotional yearning, is shed light through All That I Wanted. P.S., please don’t forget to watch the YouTube version
Poke (cover)
This track isn’t exactly Daughter’s track, but their beautiful and haunting rendition of Frightened Rabbit song from “The Midnight Organ Fight” managed to garner quite attention. The original track is slow, and Elena manages to put an adrenaline-filled soul-vibe to it.
To sum it up, the quote “good artists create; great artists steal” applies to this very well. Hear the cover version first and then listen to the original one; you’ll be surprised to find out again that Daughter has managed to make this ballad their own.
Well, it isn’t the first time they succeeded in covering a great track. After all, their rendition of Daft Punk’s classic “Get Lucky” is so moody that you almost feel shame at listening to the original track.
