If You Leave

If You Leave is the debut album by Daughter, released by 4AD on 18 March 2013. Ahead of the album’s release, a music video for the promotional single “Still” was unveiled on 24 January 2013, directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard.

Daughter was formed in 2010 initially as a solo project for singer Elena Tonra. She was later joined by guitarist Igor Haefeli and drummer Remi Aguilella. The band first gained attention with the self-released Demos EP, followed by the debut EP His Young Heart on 20 April 2011. Their second EP, The Wild Youth, was released through Communion Records on 2 October 2011 and garnered positive reviews from British critics. BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens also featured them in a Maida Vale Session.

The album’s recording process was characterised by spontaneity; Haefeli noted that the songs were often written and recorded in the studio without prior rehearsal. A live version of the song “Youth” was also recorded during this time.

If You Leave reached number 4 on the UK Indie Album Chart and number 16 on the UK Top 100. The first single, “Smother,” was released in October 2012 and received notable airplay on BBC Radio 1 and 6Music, with Huw Stephens naming it Single of the Week. The second promotional single, “Still,” was accompanied by a music video released in January 2013. Following the album release, “Human” was issued as a seven-inch vinyl single on 29 April 2013, and “Youth” was offered as a Free Single of the Week on the iTunes Store during the week of 5 May 2013. As of January 2016, the album has sold 74,489 copies in the UK.