Rhode Island’s Daughters brought their quirky mix of artistic post-punk to Austin’s Barracuda on February 27th after releasing their tremendously long awaited and highly acclaimed first album in eight years, You Won’t Get What You Want. Playing to an extremely fervent crowd, Daughters showed why they’re one of the more popular live bands in the game today, while also revealing exactly why their music can be so polarizing.
For those that love Daughters, this was a dream come true. The band had broken up in 2009 and then reunited in 2013, but until recently hadn’t released any new music. The drop of You Won’t Get What You Want was met with near unanimous critical acclaim, and this tour featuring that album’s songs heavily engaged and pummeled a clearly highly dedicated Austin audience. For their biggest fans, frontman Alexis S.F. Marshall’s manic preaching and rapid fire delivery in his slurred, “drunken Elvis” way combined with the bands crushing riffage and intense basslines were like candy to their ears. The front row hung off of Marshall’s every word, singing along to even the newest material the band played.
What Daughters is doing isn’t new. Their stage presence and their musical style in general are highly reminiscent of post-punk legends like the Jesus Lizard or Nick Cave’s earlier band the Birthday Party. The throbbing bass and spoken word vocals call to mind Suicide’s classic self-titled debut. Joy Division is also an unmissable touchstone.
What makes them special in 2019, however, is that no one is doing this quite like they are. While their sound may be indebted to ghosts of the past, Daughters brings so much energy and vigor live that their older compatriots, even those still on tour, couldn’t hope to match it, and their sound is something few if any bands in the hardcore scene would dare to attempt these days.
Marshall’s stellar poetry and speak-sung delivery evoke his audience’s imagination while the music inspires them to dance and climb the rafters, as many did, jumping off into the audience with reckless abandon. Daughters are rare breed of band, and though their music can be ugly and off-putting, their art holds a mystical place in their fanbase’s hearts. At Barracuda, the magic was in the air and Daughters came through like an avant-garde whirlwind.
