She presents an incredibly strong solo debut, offering a tender yet poignant collection of ten songs that hark to the proto-folk of fellow Brits Bat For Lashes and Beth Orton, while also displaying many of the feminist qualities of American lo-fi blues artist Chan Marshall, AKA Cat Power.
Twenty three seconds into the opening song ‘Where The Time Went’ and Daughter fans will immediately recognise the beautiful diction and dulcet tone of the band’s vocalist, as Tonra sings, “You could open with your failings / Make them understand / Show the love notes”.
When compared to the Mumford & Sons-inspired boisterous folk of her band, the overall mode of this album instead sees Tonra utilising gentle acoustic guitar picking and brushes on the drums. It’s this mood that Tonra conjures that lifts this album to be worthy of comparison to the aforementioned luminaries of contemporary music.
Whilst not diverging from a simplistic canvas on the song ‘New York’, Tonra’s vocals gently begin to sway and surge resulting in an almost secret psychedelia. This song is reminiscent of Californian modern psych geniuses Warpaint.
Ex:Re’s self-titled debut demonstrates a talented singer taking a break from her band to focus her voice into a captivating and transcendent solo album.
9/10
