Daughter

Daughter is an English indie-folk trio that formed in 2010. The band is composed of North London native Elena Tonra on vocals, guitar, bass, and piano, American-born Swiss guitarist Igor Haefeli, and French drummer Remi Aguilella. Tonra’s early interest in music developed after receiving Jeff Buckley’s album ‘Grace’ and she initially performed acoustic shows under her own name in London. However, she found this format limiting and sought collaborators. Haefeli, who observed her performances, recognized Tonra’s unique artistic presence, leading them to begin performing together with Haefeli contributing electric guitars. Their collaboration began during a songwriting course at London’s Institute of Contemporary Music Performance.

The band’s initial recordings, including their debut EP, “His Young Heart,” self-released on April 20, 2011, quickly garnered attention. This was followed by “The Wild Youth” EP, released on October 2, 2011, through Communion Records. This EP received praise from music critics and secured them an invitation from BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens for a Maida Vale Session. Their distinctive sound led to their signing with the UK label 4AD in 2012. Their debut album, “If You Leave,” released in March 2013, charted at number 16 in the UK and earned them the Independent Album of the Year award at the 2013 AIM Independent Music Awards. The band expanded its live setup with Luke Saunders on keyboards, bass, and additional guitar to accurately recreate their intricate sound during tours across North America, Europe, and Australia, including supporting Ben Howard.

Daughter continued to evolve their sound with subsequent releases. Their second album, “Not to Disappear,” released in January 2016, further solidified their presence in the indie-folk scene. In 2017, they released “Music From Before the Storm,” a largely instrumental soundtrack for the video game “Life Is Strange: Before the Storm.” Elena Tonra explored a solo project under the name Ex:Re in 2018, releasing a self-titled album that was critically acclaimed. After a hiatus, Daughter released their third studio album, “Stereo Mind Game,” on April 7, 2023, via Glassnote and 4AD, receiving positive reviews for its emotional depth and lyrical content.