Daughter - The Wild Youth

Daughter makes traditional folk elements into something far bigger, spellbinding, sometimes even exquisite.

Label: Communion Records
Released: 21st November 2011
Reviewer: El Hunt

Sometimes folk artists have an unfortunate habit of getting stuck in a rut. After all, it’s far harder to push the boundaries with softly whispered vocals and acoustic guitar than it is with, say, electronic music. For Elena Tonra however, genre-bending is no issue. From the offset Daughter was cherry-picked as one to watch for her effortless originality, and ‘The Wild Youth’ EP carries on in that vein. Taking the best from traditional folk, and melding it with electronic guitar sounds, haunting piano and even clunking hip-hop-esque beats appears to be her winning formula.

The beauty of ‘The Wild Youth’ is the way Tundra can craft and manipulate even the most minimalist foundations in a way that leaves the listener in a state of admiration and possibly mild envy. Binding it with breathy vocals, echoing piano and the occasional skittering beat, Daughter makes traditional folk elements into something far bigger, spellbinding, sometimes even exquisite. The song titles are big abstract words with a clout to them; with names like ‘Love’ and ‘Home’ we can be sure that Elena Tundra is taking no prisoners along the way. She might be full of breathy vocals and whispered half-there melodies, but as a musician Daughter is full of clarity and coherence. Rating: 8/10