Daughter of Swords Cuts Loose

Daughter of Swords’ 2019 debut album Dawnbreaker was a solid collection of intimate folk songs… that in no way suggested their next album would have the sexiest electropop-come-on-bop of 2025.

And yet, here we are. These last six years have changed all of us, but Daughter of Swords (side project of Mountain Man singer-songwriter Alex Sauser-Monnig) sounds like an entirely different artist on their sophomore album Alex. The gentle, contemplative musings have given way to an artist experimenting in new lanes, revealing multitudes as they run wild chasing their passions. These new songs capture the entwined liberation and frustration that comes with searching for what you really want, where you truly belong, particularly in a landscape that’s ever shifting-slash-falling apart. 

The first three tracks set up this theme and vibe perfectly. Kicking off with a mix of Sauser-Monnig’s captivating vocals and a wave of fuzzy guitars, “Alone Together” explores the intimidating freedom of re-discovering yourself after a break-up. This leads right into the “come on bop” I alluded to earlier, “Talk to You,” which bounces with the pulsing, thirsty rush of new desire. Yet even this arousal is cut with a great line like, “Falling for a person, like a person’s gonna solve anything,” showing off Sauser-Monnig’s sharp, ever-present self-awareness. The meet-cute hook-up turns into the push and pull of lust and love on the flirty, synthy grooves of “Hard On,” and taken together, these opening tracks speak to how even if we know who we want, we still might be figuring out exactly what we want from them and ourselves.

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The rest of the album continues on this exploratory path, both in terms of instrumentation—bringing in sultry horns, jittery guitars, and cascading pianos—and lyrically, as Sauser-Monnig expresses yearning for financial security (“Money Hits”), environmental safety (“West of West”), and a place to simply feel sane in this insane era (“Strange”). Throughout it all, there is a sincere ache to Sauser-Monnig’s voice. You feel their longing. 

So much so, though, that eventually you start to long for a relief. Each song on the back half is a solid individual mood piece, but back to back, Alex’s early energy fades. I found myself hoping for a late album satisfaction, a moment where Sauser-Monnig gets the thing they’ve been reaching for all this time… or if not, then at least a bigger catharsis of emotion. But outside of the Aimee Mann-esque rocker “Strange” and driving guitars on “Vacation,” the album largely stays in a looping, mid-tempo zone, leaving me slightly wanting.

Of course, maybe relief and catharsis is too much to ask for in 2025. Or “still searching” might simply be where Sauser-Monnig finds themselves at this point in their career. Whatever the answer, Alex remains a refreshing album for our current moment, when we’re all seeking connections — with others, our world, and even ourselves — in an increasingly disconnected world. May all of our searches be as unexpected, fearless, and freeing as Daughter of Swords’.

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