The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance
In this song "Miss America", listeners are placed in a lodging near JFK airfield, where Jennifer Walton learns a devastating update of her father's cancer diagnosis. The Sunderland-born performer was touring the US on her initial visit, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly grief casts a shadow, tinging all with melancholy. Unsteady keys and soft strings underscore gothic dispatches from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's gentle singing come across with a deadpan style, yet this record's tension arises from the sharp penmanship—blending fiction, folksy sayings, and direct personal notes—along with unexpected maximalism. Few tracks this year showcase more potent storytelling flair than "Shelly", which depicts the death of an animal and descends toward a petrol-laden confrontation, reminiscent of literary works lit by glimpses of distorted cello. Tense, quiet verses with echoing, plucked strings transition to grand choruses, with her vocals electronically altered into a presence omniscient and menacing.
Listeners might previously know Walton as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns reflect this varied background. The opener "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, like an ensemble taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo with a punishing, stunning, looping drum fill. Dense walls of sound, skillfully mixed by a longtime partner, feel at once gnarly and spiritual, while Walton's morbid, magical thoughts peak in standout "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, with poignant gallows humor.
