The Debut Record "Daughters" Explores Grief and Style
In this song "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a hotel room close to JFK airfield, as Jennifer Walton receives a devastating news that her dad has illness discovery. The UK-raised artist had been traveling America for the first time, playing with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly sadness casts a shadow, tinging all in grey. Unsteady keys and soft orchestration underscore gothic reports emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft vocals come across with a deadpan style, yet the album's intensity stems from her keen writing—mixing stories, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—along with surprising maximalism. Few songs recently possess stronger storytelling flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the death of an animal and descends into a petrol-laden confrontation, reminiscent of literary works lit by glimpses of distorted strings. Anxious, quiet verses with echoing, plucked strings transition to expansive choruses, and Walton's voice electronically altered to become something all-knowing and sinister.
Audiences might already know the artist as a music creator, disc jockey, and member to bands such as Caroline. The album's musical twists draw on this diverse background. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, as if a string band caught unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo with an intense, beautiful, repeating drum fill. Dense layers of audio, expertly mixed by a longtime partner, seem at once gnarly and ethereal, while Walton's morbid, enchanted thoughts culminate in highlight "Lambs", a song that momentarily becomes a twirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton bargains, with poignant dark comedy.
