Daughter

Daughter is a band from North London, UK, formed around singer-songwriter Elena Tonra and later joined by Igor Haefeli and drummer Remi Aguilella. The group begins as a solo project for Tonra, who releases a four-track demo EP before working with Haefeli on the His Young Heart EP in 2011. Remi Aguilella joins later that year, and the band continues as a trio.

Early releases and signing

In 2011, Daughter releases The Wild Youth EP through Communion Records. The band signs to 4AD in 2012, and the track “Smother” appears online that August. A 7-inch single follows, pairing “Smother” with a new version of “Run”.

First album and singles

Daughter’s debut album, If You Leave, arrives in 2013 on 4AD, with Glassnote handling North American release. The album is preceded by “Still” and followed by the singles “Human”, backed by “Drift”, and “Youth”, which is issued as a limited 7-inch with the new track “Smoke”.

Live work and visual projects

In 2013, the band performs at Festival No. 6 in Portmeirion Town Hall with an eight-piece ensemble led with composer, arranger and conductor Joe Duddell. They later repeat the set with 10 graduates of the Royal Northern College of Music at Air Studios in London. In 2014, the 4AD Session EP is released, filmed by Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth. Daughter later issues a trilogy of videos, beginning with “Doing The Right Thing” in 2015 and ending with “How” in 2016.

Second album and soundtrack work

Not to Disappear is released in 2016 and is recorded with Nicolas Vernhes at Rare Book Room studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Around the same period, the band releases “Numbers” and tours Europe and the US. In 2017, Daughter is chosen to create the soundtrack for Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, the prequel to the episodic adventure game series. The soundtrack album Music From Before the Storm contains 13 tracks, including “The Right Way Around”, which is used as the main song in the game.

Later releases

Daughter releases “Be On Your Way” in 2023, followed by “Party” and “Swim Back”. The album Stereo Mind Game follows on 4AD. In 2024, the band also releases Middle Farm Session, a seven-track session drawn from recordings made at Middle Farm Studios.

Style and context

The band is associated with indie, indie folk and acoustic music, and is also described in the supplied tags as a British act with female vocals.