UK-based experimental folk group Daughter – fronted by Italian-Irish Elena Tonra – sidestep the usual ordeal of following up two albums (2013's debut If You Leave, 2016's Not to Disappear) by creating commissioned soundtrack music for the video game Life Is Strange: Before the Storm (by the makers of, among other series, Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy).
The skilful, tender neo-folk of previous work has been significantly enhanced by aligning a relevant storyline (valid teenage rebellion, realistic female characters dealing with bullying, self-harm, pregnancy) with a more spacious, surging sound and snippets of Tonra’s own personal background.
Of the 13 tracks, at least six (including The Right Way Around and I Can't Live Here Anymore) hit the mark with accuracy and muscle. The remainder vary in quality, but overall this is a reassuring step forward.
