Doing The Right Thing

"Doing The Right Thing" is the first single released by indie band Daughter off of their sophomore album, Not To Disappear.

Background
The lyrics of this song focus on Alzheimer's and the effects it has on the family. About the song, Elena Tonra said:"“It’s the most upsetting song to me, because it’s not about me. It’s about my grandmother, and it’s about my mother. I have to put up with my own brain and my own insecurities every day and it doesn’t make me that sad, it’s just obviously there and is something that keeps ticking around my brain and keeps me writing which is actually probably not that great for my mental health but great for making records. When I began writing “Doing The Right Thing” it wasn’t about my grandmother or my mother, then it suddenly took a turn ……about how my mum is affected by my grandmother and just, it’s a really strange sadness that I’ve been keeping at bay for a while, not talking about, and not even fully admitting to myself that it’s making me sad, then it just suddenly poured out of me. When you write a song like that, like you didn’t mean to, it’s a bit intense. For me that is the saddest song, and the most difficult to play. I just didn’t know how we would be able to go about making that together”"

Reception
Mitch Mosk of Atwood Magazine reviewed the single, stating: "'Layered with subtleties and overflowing with emotion, “Doing The Right Thing” is a raw testament to our human mortality, offering something of a bleak commentary on the nightmares of old age, specifically neurodegeneration. The circle of life is such that every beginning has an end, but we often forget that deterioration affects the mind as well as the body.'"