The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance
Within the track "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a hotel room near JFK airfield, where Jennifer Walton learns a devastating update that her dad has illness diagnosis. This UK-raised artist had been touring America for the first time, playing with group Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly sadness casts a shadow, coloring all in grey. Faltering keys and hushed orchestration accompany gothic reports emanating from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Walton's gentle singing come across with a deadpan manner, yet the record's tension stems from the sharp penmanship—mixing stories, folksy sayings, and blunt personal notes—coupled with unexpected rich textures. Not many tracks recently possess stronger storytelling flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of an animal and descends toward a petrol-laden reckoning, evoking literary pieces illuminated by flickers of distorted strings. Tense, quiet verses with resonating, plucked guitar transition into expansive refrains, and her vocals digitally manipulated into something all-knowing and sinister.
Audiences might already be familiar with Walton from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member in groups such as Caroline. The album's musical twists draw on this diverse background. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if a string band caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the BPM via a punishing, beautiful, looping drum fill. Dense layers of audio, skillfully produced by a longtime partner, seem at once rough and ethereal, and her morbid, magical thoughts peak in standout "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a swirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she pleads, with heart-aching gallows humor.
