After an Eight-Year-Long Hiatus Daughters Reach Their Peak

Daughters appeared in the extreme experimental scene back in 2003 with their debut album Canada Songs, which featured an adventurous grindcore aesthetic, with the tracks projecting an uncontrollable sense of urgency. Despite its raw sound Canada Songs displayed very promising potential, and the band’s further evolution justified that notion. Daughters’ two records via Hydrahead, Hell Songs and their self-titled album, saw a turn from the raw grind beginnings towards a noise rock paradigm, fueled by a mathcore attitude. That is where the experimentation of Daughters started to blur the lines on the extreme music spectrum, constantly pushing the notions of what is sonically possible.

Following the release of Daughters the band went on a hiatus, from which they re-emerged in 2013. Each member of the band focused on something different during that time, and that caused a delay with regard to their creative output. Now, eight years after their self-titled album the band returns with their Ipecac debut You Won’t Get What You Want. Daughters were never an act to repeat themselves, and it seems they are not going to start doing so now, with the new album projecting a very different side of the band, while also carrying over some of the trademark characteristics and attitude.

You Won’t Get What You Want is a truly infernal release, and that is the main point that Daughters drive across its duration. With the opening track “City Song”, the band leave behind the frenetic energy of their past practices and instead creates an intense, sludge-oid structure filled with noise rock allusions. Coupled with its minimalistic progression the track produces a fantastical dystopian scenery, an ambiance that Daughters further explore throughout the record. “Less Sex” finds them building a neo-western atmosphere, which could accompany very well any of Cormac McCarthy’s works, with a mysterious bass line and an almost spoken word delivery that produce a devilish result. The repetitive progressions also aid in that respect as they drive the message more potently. It is an element they take full advantage of as they explore different trajectories, from the tribalesque moments of “Long Road No Turns” or the no-wave influences in “Daughter”.

The more direct and urgent side of the band is still present in You Won’t Get What You Want, and it rears its ugly head in a number of different occasions. “The Flammable Man” sees them produce a horrific experience in a condensed form, as the frenetic rhythms meet with the bizarrely processed guitars. The addition of synths and audio effects further build this nightmare ambiance, as is the case with “The Lord Songs”, where the background horror theme elevates the track. In the end, it is a case of the intensity that the band add to their tracks, and that doesn’t require faster pace and cutthroat vocals. “The Reason They Hate Me” and “Guest House” both dial down the schizoid progression without losing any of their asphyxiating sense. Other times, the weight of the track will compensate for the slower pace, as is the case with “Long Road No Turns”, with the heavy guitars producing a relentless beating at each passing moment.

Considering the band’s output so far, You Won’t Get What You Want is the perfect return for Daughters. While aspects of the band’s creative vision have been altered and their sound has further evolved, the core elements remain intact. The asphyxiating sound has been augmented with the inclusion of longer, heavier sludge influenced moments. The tension the band build is further explored through different means. And that devilish, almost tongue in cheek presence is still prominent. “Satan in the Wait” is an excellent example of that mentality, as the band pushes the dissonant edge to the extreme and builds an inharmonious construct, only to make a surprising turn and unleash an unbelievable melodic hook. It all speaks to the quality of Daughters, and with their return, they truly deliver.