Album Review - Daughter, Stereo Mind Game

Daughter, a band often mis-labelled as indie-folk, have absolutely shredded that enclosing docket on ‘Intro’, a 60-second track with which Stereo Mind Game pounds into life.

In truth, Daughter's sophomore Not To Disappear (2016) veered into post-punk, shoegaze and dream pop, yet the indie-folk badge remained affixed, even after the electronica-infused texture of their Ivor Novello-nominated 2017 soundtrack Music From Before The Storm. No more.

The ethereal seductiveness of ‘Be On Your Way’, the gothic rock of ‘Party’ and the exploratory sonic textures of ‘Swim Back’ – three singles, already released in 2023 – have already cemented expectations that the band’s third album will be something truly fresh.

‘Swim Back’ contains a motley range of sounds – grating klaxon, hallucinatory warbling, beastly bellowing – spun out over a rambling beat, pitching synths and Elena Tonra’s compelling vocals about seeking a hole in the ocean. That inventiveness continues across the scuzzy-dance sound of ‘Future Lover’; the musique concrète melee of ‘(Missed Calls)’; and the avant-garde use of field recordings on ‘Wish I Could Cross The Sea’.

Adding bespoke creativity across the album is the exhilarating music collective The 12 Ensemble, with orchestration by Josephine Richardson. The brass quartet on ‘Neptune’ and ‘To Rage’, meanwhile, add ballast to an already weighty record. Fascinating stuff...

Listen: ‘Swim Back’
Score: 7/10

Out now via 4AD.

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