Album Review: Daughters - S/T


I don't think I've ever been so horny after listening to an album. Daughters have always been the kings of what I like to call sleazecore: a mixture of post-metal, mathcore and tasteless raunch. The first self-titled ep was a lesson in short-fast and grimy grindcore with vocals that seemed to come out of Lex's disdain for keeping his pants on. Screeches, howls, screams; it definitely sounded like he was fucking to death. When Canada Songs came out, I was all over that record as it only continued to further their reputation as kings of sleaze with post-modern porno lyrics.

Then the band did an about face on their last album, which turned out to be the best decision they could ever make. They stopped blasting so hard, they stopped trying to sound anything like grind, and Lex stopped screaming. What resulted was their raunchiest and most foul record to date in "Hell Songs". As opposed to fucking himself to death, Lex now sounded like a drunken sailor from Providence ready to blow his load at the sound of a screeching guitar. Hence the lyrics, "like a roman candle when I get off".

That leads us to this album which while I'm undecided if it's their best, is definitely another milestone in the Daughters lineage. Daughters maintain their sexual ferocity, even amping it up a little on this album, with guitars that are less angular and more jarring than anything. I was surprised to hear so much distortion put on them, but very very pleased with what I heard. Lyrically, the album retains much of that post-modern horniness they fucked with in their early days and mixes it with the newer style of Lex's vocals and storytelling lyrics. The result is a mixture of brilliant hyperbole and just flat out fucking sick ass lines.

The lead single "The First Supper" is a perfect example of how amazing this album is. It has everything from high pitched guitar parts to the soul-crushing breakdowns that make every Daughters show such an amazing thing to be a part of. It has a tad bit more of a dancy, spazzy, beat to it, which is another new facet of this band. The album flows almost incoherently in a drunken fashion much in the same way "Hell Songs" did, only where Hell relented in their aggression, Daughters "S/T" just keeps punishing and punishing. Think your drunk uncle stumbling around belligerently and constantly sexually harassing your girlfriend or your mom before going home and angrily fucking a hoooker.

The album isn't all flash and weiners though. Lyrically Daughters have perfected their craft and their style so well that the metaphors at times seem completely harmless and introspective. I guess that's their trick for getting you. Further inspection shows these guys are still sleazy enough to make you cringe and that no one does it better. The sound, the vocals, the words, everything blends in perfectly to create an album that is not only brutal in aural aspects but smart, inquisitive and downright crude/sexy all together. Each song is carefully crafted with tongues placed firmly on cheeks, what type of cheek are we talking about? Well I guess you're just going to have to find out for yourself.

There is debate as to whether or not this will be their last album. Daughters have announced they will not be touring in support of it, and three of the five members have quit for unknown reasons, although reading and watching interviews with Lex, it can't be hard to figure out. If this is their last album, then it is a fitting way to go out. It is a great swan song for a band that in my eyes is extremely underrated and one of the more progressive bands in their genre (more so than the Locust, Some Girls, etc.). At least if they are done, Daughters go out on top (or on the bottom depending on how drunk and tired they are). They came in kicking and screaming and go out in a drunken blaze of gunshots and rimjobs. Hey at least they went out with a bang, which I guess is how they first started: kickin and screamin, hangin and bangin.

Grade: A

Here's the first single off the album, "The First Supper".


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