In an interview with the band, lead singer Elena Tonra detailed that she sings about those things which she finds difficult to talk about. I remember wishing, as a teenager, that it was acceptable to speak in the poetic metaphors that would spring from my fertile imagination. It wasn't. It still isn't. But something better is available to us, and that is the capacity to turn those moody, deeply reflective, overthinking moments into art. Does anyone do this quite so beautifully as Tonra, and her band, Daughter?
I remember the feeling of discovering If You Leave. The quiet solidarity of the melancholy lyrics, spanning a wintry landscape, but undeniably warm. Some years have passed and the feeling is yet to dissipate. Although Daughter has created interesting and nuanced offerings since its release, If You Leave remains a firm favourite on my playlist, and I'm sure, on many others too.
Although it is true that dissecting a beautiful thing can often make it less so, I firmly believe that an awareness of how Daughter creates the special magic of If You Leave will only increase your love for it.
The most striking element is without a doubt, Elena Tonra's cultivated mezzo vocal. It is unique in its thoughtful fragility, without the harsh edges that trained vocals take on all too often. The same is true of the lyrical content. There is a decidedly untouched quality to it. As someone working to make a start as a songwriter, I feel constant pressure to write what people want to hear, and what they can relate to. The funny thing about that though, as any expert in the field will tell you, is that as soon as you write from your own experiences, the music begins to touch those who listen. A song describing a thought that's been keeping its writer up at night may resonate with a smaller audience on a personal level, but that audience is unlikely to forget it. These are the songs that cut through the noise - the ones that awaken that sense of kinship C.S. describes in his book, The Four Loves, the moment of "You too? I thought I was the only one."
Chilly, intricate guitar melodies accompany the vocals as the silky thread that runs through If You Leave. They add an interesting texture to the honeyish quality of the vocal, supporting it and giving it shape as each song develops. Sparse, diverse percussion punctuates the music, undercut by warm, subtle basslines. The combination is as striking as it is seamless, creating a distinct mood that sets If You Leave apart among indie albums.
I am grateful to Daughter for having created If You Leave and I highly recommend that those who have not yet listened to it, do.
