Elena Tonra of Daughter weaves indie folk, trip-hop, and chamber pop together on her second solo album, creating the perfect soundtrack for a gloomy autumn.
Daughter aren’t exactly prolific when it comes to new releases, and their frontwoman, Elena Tonra, is just as sparing with her solo work. Her self-titled debut under the moniker Ex:Re came out way back in 2018. Now, eight years later, she’s finally ready to share her second solo effort, Save As. It’s a melancholic, occasionally unsettling album filled with reflections on loss, memory, and love.
Take the opening track, “Radio Station”: a subdued indie-folk song in which Tonra’s voice takes center stage. The guitar and drums sound as raw as possible, giving the impression that you’re not listening to a studio recording but that Tonra is sitting right there in the room with you. Lyrically, the song feels like a long drive. Tonra compares herself to a radio signal: stations change from one region to the next, along with their moods and what they have to say.
The trip-hop-leaning “Sleep” builds up far more layers. The finished track features a melodic loop made from an acoustic-guitar part in the demo, run through a vocoder and paired with a drum-machine beat. It gives the album a more intimate, almost mystical atmosphere. The repeated line “Am I Even Real?” seems to speak to losing control of your own life: an elegant mental breakdown captured in the middle of New York’s streets.
The oppressive tension intensifies as the album unfolds. The heavy piano on “Two Chords” intertwines with lyrics about withered plants and a layered chorus, while the Portishead-esque “Save As” conjures panic at the constant feeling of moments slipping out of memory. It’s a magnificent sensation, but also so unsettling that you can’t help but physically recoil.
On “Frozen Aisle”, Tonra turns to tender dream pop, creating an ephemeral listening experience: something familiar and comforting, yet mysterious and distant, as if the song were melting before your eyes. One of the album’s finest tracks, “Wasp”, is also one of its simplest musically. Beyond Tonra’s vocals, all you hear is an acoustic guitar and a cello that partly mimics the buzz of a wasp. The storytelling is superb, and Tonra once again proves what an excellent songwriter she is.
The album’s heaviest moment is its closing track, “Healing (Slow)”, dedicated to Tonra’s older relatives. Centered on the loss of loved ones, it finds her in a state of utter devastation. “Sometimes a death just has no deeper meaning than time,” she sings, and your heart immediately sinks.
Eight years on, Ex:Re has found a second wind. This is Elena Tonra at her most familiar: the artist indie fans fell in love with for her atmospheric, melancholic music and lyrics that leave plenty of room for reflection and personal interpretation. Save As holds its own alongside her work both solo and with the band. At times, it’s a heavy album, shrouded in a quiet unease and fragments of memory that cling to the back of your mind. The trick is not to lose them.
7.5/10
