The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
In this track "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a hotel room near JFK airfield, where Jennifer Walton learns the devastating news that her dad has cancer diagnosis. The UK-raised performer had been touring America for the first time, drumming alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief takes over, tinging all with melancholy. Faltering piano and hushed orchestration accompany gothic dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's soft vocals are delivered in a flat style, yet the record's tension arises from the sharp writing—mixing fiction, traditional phrases, and blunt diary entries—coupled with unexpected rich textures. Not many songs this year possess more potent novelistic flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of an animal and descends into a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of written pieces illuminated by flickers of distorted strings. Tense, subdued sections featuring echoing, strummed guitar transition to expansive refrains, and Walton's vocals electronically altered to become a presence all-knowing and menacing.
Listeners may previously know the artist as a music creator, disc jockey, and member to bands such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists reflect her varied background. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if an ensemble caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM via a punishing, stunning, repeating percussion. Thick walls of sound, expertly mixed by a longtime partner, feel both gnarly and spiritual, while her dark, magical thoughts peak in standout "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a twirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton bargains, with poignant dark comedy.
