London trio Daughter serve up soulful indie-pop
Moody indie-pop trio Daughter are growing in confidence and looking forward to their first Asian foray, writes Oliver Clasper
At the last minute, Daughter's lead singer Elena Tonra pulls out of the interview. She wants to protect her voice ahead of a show at the St Jerome's Laneway Festival in Melbourne. For those who have heard her ethereal and brittle vocals, this will come as no surprise.
Daughter's sound is restrained and contemplative, their mood and message reflective rather than raucous. Taking the call in Tonra's place is guitarist Igor Haefeli. He starts by discussing the tour, describing it as a big deal for the London-based band, especially following the release of last year's debut LP If You Leave.
"We're getting towards the end of touring this album, and it's nice to go to countries we haven't played before," Haefeli says ahead of Daughter's show in Hong Kong, where they will perform alongside King Krule and Ásgeir. "In Asia, it'll be the first time for most of the audience, which makes a difference. We can give everyone a bit of an introduction to who we are."
It also becomes apparent that escaping the music press in Europe and the US can be a form of catharsis, particularly for an emerging band. "Even in our minds we feel a little bit more relaxed out here," Haefeli says. "Anyway, I'm really happy with what we've done, and it reflects us at this point in time. Ultimately reviews are just someone else's opinion."
Haefeli grew up in Switzerland, and began playing the guitar when he was 14. He found his ambitions at odds with his peers, and would come home from school, lock himself in his room and play for hours, practising other people's songs. "I played in other bands, but it became clear quite quickly that I was more driven. I became frustrated, and I was expressive about that. It didn't create a good atmosphere."
Daughter came together four years ago in London. Haefeli and Tonra were both studying at the Institute for Contemporary Music Performance, and they joined up after Haefeli saw her play a solo set. Drummer Remi Aguilella was the next addition, the band self-released the His Young Heart EP in 2011, quickly followed by The Wild Youth on Communion Records.