Daughters Courageous seem to be dealing in the sort of strong-lunged, big-amped, heavy-hearted alt.rock that brings to mind a no-frills, all-thrills Oceansize, or perhaps Amplifier giving in to their deepest emotional-hardcore fantasies, which is much more appealing than you’re probably imagining.
At least, that’s the impression given by the three-track demo we hear before us. A large and yearning chorus is indeed the order of the day, as heard in first song ‘Psammoma Bodies’ accompanied by sharp-darting riffs, pounding drums and creaking feedback, which somehow allows the wealth of long held vocal notes to be…well, long. The use of a verse/chorus/middle eight etc. structure in ‘Courageous Daughter’ may be tried and tested, but is rarely pulled off in such an effective, chart-savvy-Hundred Reasons kinda way. Plus it does well in cutting to the chase and mostly staying there. What’s more, by third song ‘Cramps In Tight Places’ the listener has established the ‘style’ (if you will) of the Daughters, not through a dogged over-use or tired familiarity but through a strength of ability. They may not be straddling the height of their promise just yet, but how many great bands do at this point?
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7Thomas Blatchford's Score