Indie’s answer to a silkier Warpaint, AKA Daughter, are back with a brilliant follow-up record, no less. Bands often have a habit of drifting off a bit on their second album, but this is wistful soft rock, angelic vocal notes and heavenly indie-folk rolled into one, just as before. The grungy bliss is prevalent in many of the songs, making for one of the most elegant and unique sounds a female-led indie outfit has gifted to date.

‘If You Leave’ was an immensely rinsed album. Fact. But, it was so easy to replay and replay, simply because of its sheer grace and sophistication, so it’s no shock that I never found it boring or repetitive. Fortunately, ‘Not to Disappear’ is exactly the same in its propensity to increasingly wow and inspire, so it’s yet another all-round belter. It’ll be rinsed in a week, I bet.

Each of the ten tracks are sublime, with the majority being soft numbers. The exception to this is ‘No Care’, which is instantly distinguished among the remainder of the gentle offerings. From start to finish, this is a solid record that delivers in taste and creativity; the ironically titled, punchy ‘New Ways’ adheres ideally to their usual template of ethereal vocals and dark riffs. It isn’t difficult to draw comparisons between Daughter and Warpaint, but the latter are typically brasher and definitely modern day indie-grunge, whist the former are more mesmerising in their precision and attention to instrumental detail. ‘Numbers’ and ‘To Belong’ are also rather similar in style.

Two of my favourites have to be ‘Doing the Right Thing’ and ‘How’, which are both somehow bold and effortless at once, with so much dignity. ‘Doing the Right Thing’ could well have slotted into the debut, as it is just constructed so similarly it barely comes as a surprise – it just seems familiar, comfortable. However, the slightly off-beat melody of ‘How’ offers a sense of freedom and clarity through its magical harmonies and well crafted riffs; the hooks are seamless and the vocals transcend the depth of the guitars. So, with these standout killer songs being so effervescent and dazzling, and the remainder of the album generally following suit, Daughter’s return has just propped the bar stupidly high – and it’s only January.

If you only download one track, let it be: ‘How’