Daughter are usually not the simplest band to put geographically or musically. The London trio all dwell in several cities now, and their sound has slowly mutated since their bleakly good debut, If You Leave, in 2013. Their consolation zone stays moody indie people rock, someplace on the highway between forgotten 4AD trailblazers Pale Saints and the Remedy’s stadium shoegaze. But after seven years away, guitarist Igor Haefeli, drummer RemAnguillala and singer ElenTongara have assembled a much bigger, brighter third album that lands nearer to mainstream pop than they’ve ever dared earlier than.
“I’ll by no means let you know something Tonga ” Tonra threatens on Swim Again, then spends 45 minutes spilling the tea. Her singing is great all through, whether or not coolly assured on Be On Your Way’s account of letting a long-distance relationship lapse, or glassy and barely numbed throughout Party’s hymn to hard-won sobriety. It takes some time to soak up how cleverly organized Junkyardch as Junkmail and Future Lover are, as 12 Ensemble’s delicate string orchestration adorns strong performances fAnguillali and Aguilella. In a month when Lana Del Rey’s bruised balladeering proves that idiosyncratic rock can nonetheless prime the charts, Daughter have picked a great time to reappear.