Daughters' early material was primarily described as grindcore while their later material has been described as noise rock. Sadler has said that he has always disagreed with Daughters being described as a math rock or mathcore band, stating "[Daughters has] always been a kind of calculated band, but not in a math rock way. None of us are classically trained at all and I don't think anyone in Daughters has taken a lesson in anything. The music just comes out that way and it's always been the nature of the band."
With the release of the band's second album, Hell Songs, Marshall's vocal style had noticeably changed from high-pitched screams to a singing style that over the years has been compared to David Yow, Nick Cave and Michael Gira and also has been described as "Elvis Presley being tortured" and "Jerry Lee Lewis on hallucinogenic drugs." Marshall explained the reason for the change in vocals saying "It's intimidating [to be in this band]. These guys can play. I don't want to be like, "You guys be impressive and I'll just scream." We're not a band like that. Our music is not like that, so why should the singing be like other bands?"
Speaking about Daughters' reunion Marshall stated the band had been talking about it for a while. He also mentioned how fans would regularly ask him "what was going on with Daughters" while he was on tour with his other band Fucking Invincible. He stated "It’s crazy. People are actually still into it" referring to Daughters. When Marshall got home from touring with Fucking Invincible he sent out a group text to the other members of Daughters saying, "People are interested in us doing something. We shouldn’t fuck around. We should just go out at play some shows, because this writing thing is taking way longer than it was supposed to. Let’s not concern ourselves with that; let’s just play some shows and things will happen after that. Everything will happen by itself once we get in the mindset of being in Daughters and being with each other."
On September 13, 2013 Daughters reformed for one show in Rhode Island. Due to popular demand, a second show was added on September 15. Although at the time no further official statements had been made, ever since the reunion the band has had heavy activity on social media and had been recording "bits and pieces" and making demos. In the summer of 2014 the band started recording at Providence based studio, Machines With Magnets. In July, 2014 during these recording sessions the band kept hinting at a new material through Facebook. However all recordings from this session were shelved because the band were unhappy with the outcome, with Marshall claiming they "forced it" and that the recordings ended up sounding "unfinished," Sadler has said the recordings were shelved so the band could "experiment with new ideas."
In 2015 Daughters posted a photo on Facebook of its members at the recording studio, Machines With Magnets. In September, 2016 the band announced via Instagram that they will "Record, once again, during [their upcoming tour] with no real agenda nor timeline for release." On this tour Daughters played the new song, Long Road, No Turns. In a 2017 interview Marshall said he expects Daughters to release their fourth studio album by the end of the year. In April 2018, Daughters reported that the recordings of the guitars for their upcoming album were complete. On July 13, 2018 Daughters released a single, Satan in the Wait from their upcoming album, the single and album are being released through Ipecac Records. On August 17, 2018 Daughters announced the title of the upcoming album, You Won't Get What You Want and released their second single from the album titled The Reason They Hate Me, it was described as "noisier and more abrasive" than the last single. The band also announced more tour dates alongside the announcement. On October 2, 2018 Daughters released the third single from the album Long Road, No Turns, the song was described by Rolling Stone as "another unique beast: off-kilter rhythms pierce through a seething veneer of distortion and Marshall, his voice sounding crystal clear, sings about making mistakes and coming undone." On January 14, 2019, the band released their first-ever music video for the song Less Sex The video was directed by the band's former guitarist Jeremy Wabiszczewicz.
The Virgin
Daughters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Paul Wear's a hat of fire. He has so much love to give. But no one will get close to him.
Paul wears a hat of fire. He says. "It's a lonely life when no one will shake your hand."
Paul wears a hat of fire. He told me he doesn't see a point to going out anymore.
His mother tried to teach him right from wrong. Still, he wont take it off.
Paul wears a hat of fire. He knows you and your friends are talking about him when he's not around.
Paul wears a hat of fire. He knows you wont be happy until he's lying dead in the street.
Paul wears a hat of fire. Now he is all but naked with a handgun on your front lawn.
In Daughters' song "The Virgin," the lyrics recount the tragic story of a character named Paul who has metaphorically put on a hat made of fire. The fiery hat symbolizes the destructive nature of Paul's life and his actions, and serves as a stark contrast to the image of the Virgin, which could indicate a state of purity and innocence that is far from Paul's reality. The opening lines of the song talks about how Paul believes that the hat of fire is not so bad if you can stand the smell of burning hair and how he has so much love to give, suggesting that he may not even realize how destructive he is being. The following lines further elaborate on how lonely and isolated Paul feels, as no one will get close to him or shake his hand.
The lyrics then describe how Paul's mother tried to teach him right from wrong but he refuses to take the hat off. This paints a picture of Paul as someone who knows what he is doing is wrong, but who is either incapable or unwilling to change. The subsequent lines reveal that Paul is aware that others are talking about him behind his back and does not appreciate being questioned about his motivation. The final lines are the most chilling, describing how Paul is now almost naked and has a handgun on someone's front lawn. The song ends with a sense of impending doom and a feeling that Paul's destructive behavior has reached its peak.
Line by Line Meaning
Paul wears a hat of fire. He says it's not so bad if you can stand the smell of burning hair
Paul has a unique approach to dealing with the consequences of his actions and is willing to tolerate the negative outcomes if it means he can maintain his current image.
Paul wears a hat of fire. He has so much love to give. But no one will get close to him.
Despite his desire for connection, Paul's appearance and behavior cause others to keep their distance and prevent him from experiencing the love and closeness he craves.
Paul wears a hat of fire. He says. "It's a lonely life when no one will shake your hand."
Paul understands the social implications of his appearance and behaviors and acknowledges the isolation that results when people are too afraid to interact with him.
Paul wears a hat of fire. He told me he doesn't see a point to going out anymore.
Paul feels defeated and hopeless about his social prospects and sees no reason to try to change his circumstances or engage with the world outside his own.
His mother tried to teach him right from wrong. Still, he wont take it off.
Despite previous attempts to guide him towards making better choices, Paul remains committed to his current path and refuses to make a change.
Paul wears a hat of fire. He knows you and your friends are talking about him when he's not around.
Paul is aware of the speculation and negative conversation happening behind his back, and it only serves to reinforce his feelings of alienation and isolation.
Paul wears a hat of fire. He doesnt think you have any right to question his motivation.
Paul is defensive about his decisions and feels as though he is being unfairly scrutinized by those around him, who are incapable of understanding his motives and desires.
Paul wears a hat of fire. He knows you wont be happy until he's lying dead in the street.
Paul feels as though his peers are actively seeking his demise and that there is no possibility of a positive outcome to his current situation.
Paul wears a hat of fire. Now he is all but naked with a handgun on your front lawn.
After reaching a breaking point with his current circumstances, Paul has become an imminent threat to himself and others and is desperate to change his fate, through whatever means necessary.
Contributed by Callie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.