Today, Daughter share another single ‘Swim Back’ from their upcoming album Stereo Mind Game, out on 7 April. The release follows previous singles ‘Party’, a track that recounts the place that Elena Tonra got to before deciding to give up alcohol, and ‘Be On Your Way’, a longing but resilient song about an enduring connection that is also undefinable. Returning with their first studio album for seven years, Stereo Mind Game is a new chapter for Daughter, the trio of Elena Tonra, Igor Haefeli and Remi Aguilella.
Elena Tonra isn’t a keen swimmer, but oceans pervade Stereo Mind Game. On ‘Swim Back’, deep feeling comes from the bows of the 12 Ensemble, the London-based string orchestra, arranged by Haefeli, and orchestrated by Josephine Stephenson. Their parts were – fittingly – recorded at The Pool, a space in Bermondsey, south London, which is a former swimming spot. The track is accompanied by another Tiff Pritchett-directed video.
Stereo Mind Game, released on 7 April, is the group’s first record since Not to Disappear (2016) and soundtrack Music from Before the Storm (2017). After more than a decade spent depicting the darkest emotions, Daughter present their most optimistic record yet. Its songs grapple with what it means to be separated from loved ones and from yourself, yet here Daughter tend to sorrow by fixing it in time. Doing so makes it more real, like the flower – dried, pressed and remembered – on the album’s cover.
Connection and disconnection permeate Stereo Mind Game’s twelve songs literally and figuratively. In the intervening years since the Ivor Novello-nominated Music from Before the Storm (2017), the band has moved away from their initial London base – Aguilella relocated to Portland, Oregon, Haefeli to Bristol, England – and spent time on their own projects (including Tonra’s debut solo album under the moniker Ex:Re in 2018). However, despite the physical distance – further exacerbated by the pandemic – Daughter continued to meet and write together. Produced by Haefeli and Tonra, Stereo Mind Game was written and recorded in various locations including Devon, Bristol and London (UK), San Diego (CA), Portland (OR) and Vancouver (WA). While Daughter’s previous work found power in emotional honesty, Stereo Mind Game welcomes opposing feelings. “It’s about not working in absolutes,” Haefeli says.
Stereo Mind Game is released on 7 April and will be available digitally, on CD, cassette and on standard eco-black, eco-mix colour (indie retail only) and green (Rough Trade exclusive) vinyl formats. For pre-order information head HERE.
Daughter – Stereo Mind Game
Catalogue Number: 4AD 0512
Tracklisting
1. Intro
3. Party
4. Dandelion
5. Neptune
6. Swim Back
7. Junkmail
8. Future Lover
9. (Missed Calls)
10. Isolation
11. To Rage
12. Wish I Could Cross The Sea
ABOUT DAUGHTER
Formed in 2010 in London by Elena Tonra, Igor Haefeli and Remi Aguilella, Daughter rose to success with their first studio album If You Leave in 2013 which debuted in the Top 20 of the UK charts. Their follow-up, 2016’s Not to Disappear, garnered similar critical and popular acclaim and the trio has headlined sold-out shows around the world. After releasing the videogame soundtrack Music From Before the Storm in 2017, the band spent time on individual projects. Tonra debuted her solo venture, Ex:Re, in 2018 with a self-titled album recorded in 4AD’s basement studio in London.
DAUGHTER ONLINE
Twitter & Facebook: @ohdaughter
Instagram: @ohdaughter
