The Debut Record "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance
Within the song "Miss America", listeners find themselves in a lodging near JFK airfield, as Jennifer Walton learns the devastating news that her dad has cancer diagnosis. This Sunderland-born artist was traveling the US on her initial visit, playing alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief takes over, tinging everything in grey. Faltering keys and hushed strings underscore dark reports emanating from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's soft vocals come across with a flat style, while the record's tension stems from the keen penmanship—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt personal notes—along with surprising maximalism. Few tracks recently possess stronger storytelling style compared to "Shelly", which describes the killing of a deer and descends toward a petrol-laden confrontation, reminiscent of literary pieces illuminated with flickers of distorted cello. Tense, quiet verses featuring resonating, strummed strings transition into grand choruses, and her voice digitally manipulated into a presence omniscient and sinister.
Listeners might previously be familiar with Walton as a music creator, DJ, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. The album's musical twists draw on this diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" erupts with fanfare, as if an ensemble caught unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM via an intense, beautiful, repeating percussion. Dense layers of audio, skillfully produced with a longtime partner, feel both gnarly and spiritual, and her dark, magical thinking peak in standout "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a twirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton pleads, exuding poignant gallows humor.
