The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
In the track "Miss America", audiences are placed in a lodging near JFK airport, where Jennifer Walton learns the heartbreaking news that her dad has illness diagnosis. The UK-raised performer was touring the US on her initial visit, playing alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly sadness takes over, tinging everything in grey. Unsteady piano and hushed strings accompany gothic reports emanating from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her gentle vocals are delivered with a deadpan style, while the album's tension arises from her sharp penmanship—mixing fiction, traditional phrases, and direct personal notes—coupled with unexpected maximalism. Few tracks recently showcase more potent storytelling flair than "Shelly", which describes the death of an animal and descends into a fuel-soaked confrontation, reminiscent of literary pieces illuminated by flickers of distorted strings. Anxious, quiet verses with echoing, strummed guitar move to grand refrains, and her voice digitally manipulated to become something omniscient and menacing.
Listeners may previously be familiar with Walton from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists draw on this diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if a string band taken by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the tempo with a punishing, stunning, repeating drum fill. Thick layers of audio, skillfully produced by a longtime partner, feel at once gnarly and ethereal, while her dark, magical thinking peak in standout "Lambs", a song that momentarily becomes a swirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she pleads, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.
