The Debut Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance
Within this song "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a lodging close to JFK airport, where Jennifer Walton receives the devastating news of her father's cancer diagnosis. The Sunderland-born performer had been traveling the US for the first time, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly grief casts a shadow, coloring everything with melancholy. Unsteady keys and soft strings accompany dark reports emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft singing are delivered with a flat manner, while this album's tension arises from her sharp penmanship—blending stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—along with unexpected maximalism. Few songs this year showcase more potent storytelling flair than "Shelly", a piece that depicts the death of an animal and spirals into a fuel-soaked reckoning, evoking literary pieces lit by flickers of warped strings. Anxious, subdued sections featuring resonating, plucked guitar move to grand choruses, and Walton's vocals digitally manipulated to become a presence omniscient and sinister.
Audiences may already know Walton as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect her diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, as if an ensemble taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo via a punishing, beautiful, repeating drum fill. Thick layers of audio, skillfully mixed with a longtime partner, seem both gnarly and ethereal, while Walton's morbid, magical thinking peak in standout "Lambs", which momentarily becomes a swirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she pleads, with heart-aching gallows humor.
