One of the best things about music is it's capacity to evoke emotion. It is this quality in full bloom that makes each experience of three piece UK indie folk outfit, Daughter, so exceptional.
Frontwoman, Elena Tonra, explains that her songwriting is a channel by which she speaks "about things [she feels] difficult talking about in adulthood". This sincerity runs through each one of Daughter's offerings thus far, perhaps peaking during the beautiful orchestral collaborations at Air Studios.
True to their usual spectacularly understated style, Daughter has recently quietly blessed us with a new single, "Doing the Right Thing". One of the elements Daughter uses to attain their unique sound is a heart-wrenching dissonance which appears periodically in many of their tracks. In these instances, the vocal does not seem to fit exactly into the instrumental, but somehow this creates a perfect fusion that is almost cathartic to listen to. In "Doing The Right Thing", vocalist Elena Tonra seems to capitalise on this feature. On the first listen, the introductory verses are almost jarring, the vocal feeling especially raw due to it's clashes with the instrumental. On deeper analysis and further listening, the unique beauty of such a combination is revealed. There is a sort of musical complexity taking place here, perhaps to match the emotional complexities expressed in the lyrics.
Lyrically, the song is consistent with the poetry of "If You Leave". However, the song seems to access a darker side of the band's collective mind. The repetition of "out of televisions" in the final verse of the song is perhaps the climax of the song, and it is particularly sombre. "I have lost my children, I have lost my love, I just sit in silence, watch the picture soak out of televisions." The meaning of this verse becomes clear upon watching the music video. A beautifully filmed slice of life presents to us an elderly man in emotional turmoil. Perhaps among other things, this song is about the bleakness of growing old and forgetting the things that were once deeply important to you.
Electric guitar melodies run alongside the vocal and seem to emphasize the lyrics. A soft beginning leans into a harsher sound as the song progresses both emotionally and lyrically. It is a bleak landscape, but all the more beautiful for its subtle darkness.
It is incredibly exciting to consider what Daughter has waiting for us in "Not to Disappear" which will be released on the 15th of January 2016. It has been nearly three years since we first heard "If You leave" and given the precedent set by both their previous work and this beautiful forestaste, we have much to look forward to. For the moment, I'll be listening to "Doing the Right Thing" on repeat and dreaming of what is to come.
