Bigger than the sum of parts

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By Chris Lau
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Indie rockers Daughter tell us their unique sound comes from the trio's diverse backgrounds and music expertise.

By Chris Lau |
Published: 
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Daughter (from left), Elena Tonra, Igor Haefeli and Remi Aguilella, credit their sound to their diversity

Having a diverse pool of individual talent can help bring fresh ideas to the table, and no other band would agree more than indie trio Daughter.

Formed in London in 2010, the up-and-coming rockers come from all over Europe. There's guitarist Igor Haefeli, who was born in Switzerland, drummer Remi Aguilella hails from France, and the band's frontwoman, Elena Tonra, is a North Londoner.

"I think it's interesting that all of us were brought up in different countries," says Tonra, who was in town with the other two band members last week for a gig at Kitec.

"What we listened to as teenagers was completely different from one another, so I think our musical influences are quite different, and I think that fits into how we approach making our music."

Drummer Aguilella agrees: "It definitely helped us bring different textures to the songs."

They converged in England, when the three met as students at London's Institute of Contemporary Music Performance. Tonra took a course in songwriting; Aguilella learned classical percussion and jazz drumming; and Haefeli studied electronic music.

The trio has put their music education to good use as Daughter, each contributing a unique sound in their alternative approach to music.

When asked if their different musical backgrounds have ever led to arguments, Tonra bursts out laughing.

"[There has never been] a massive clash, like, you know, 'Aaarrgh! Massive clash!'," she says.

That's good news for their fans, who are in love with their mix of ambient, minimalistic sounds accompanying Tonra's hypnotising vocals.

Since 2010, Daughter has released two well-received EPs, His Young Heartand The Wild Youth, and their first full-length record, If You Leave, was released last March to even more critical acclaim.

As well as putting out hit albums, they've also been all over the world, playing in all sorts of venues from big concert halls to cemeteries. Having just wrapped up their Asia tour, Daughter is set to play more shows in North America next month.

Haefeli hints the group is already brainstorming ideas for the next album, though it won't be released for some time, because the band is putting all their energy into live shows at the moment.

"We certainly don't want to rush it out," he says. Their fans will wait with baited breath.

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