Music Review: 'Not to Disappear'

Daughter, an indie folk band hailing from the UK, dropped its most recent album, “Not To Disappear,” Jan. 15 this year. With London native Elena Tonra on vocals and guitar, Igor Haefeli on bass and Remi Aguilella on drums, Daughter hoped to duplicate the success of their 2013 album, “If You Leave.”

“Not To Disappear” opens with the track “New Ways,” setting the mood for the rest of the album. With a dramatic beat and mystical sounding guitar sections, “New Ways” creates an otherworldly atmosphere persistent through the rest of the songs. The next track, “Numbers,” picks up a heavier beat but retains ethereal vibes. Though the instrumental parts of “Numbers” are quite soothing, the song’s lyrics become repetitive to the point of annoyance.

The theme of nice instrumental music but also repetition then persists throughout the rest of the album. “Doing The Right Thing” is a nice, peaceful song featuring cool keyboard noises, but it isn’t anything special past a common indie song. “To Belong” and “How” both include nothing of interest and only continue the serene yet extraterrestrial sounds of all the other songs. These spacey vibes reach their zenith in “Mothers,” making the song more notable than its peers in the album. “Alone/With You” breaks out of the mold of the album, but not in a good way. With awkward lyrics like “I hate walking alone/ I should get a dog or something,” the song makes one question whether Daughter edited their songs before production. Interesting keyboard segments redeem the track slightly, but can’t distract from the absurdity of what Tonra is singing.

Though also following the general atmosphere of all the other songs, “No Care” and “Fossa” provide a nice departure. “No Care” is a good change of pace, with a faster beat and overall louder sound. “Fossa,” flowing between fast and slow beats and featuring a great guitar solo at the end, is the best song of the album.

All in all, “Not To Disappear” offers a pleasant, calming sound with unearthly vibes but not much variation. Elena Tonra provides soothing, Lana Del Rey-esque vocals and the other members play impressive instrumental segments, making the album worth listening to at least once, especially while in a thoughtful mood. Individual songs are unimpressive, though, blending together lovely sounds to make each indistinguishable.

Daughter will be performing at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro April 2.