The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance
In the song "Miss America", listeners are placed in a hotel room close to JFK airfield, as Jennifer Walton learns the devastating update of her father's illness discovery. The UK-raised artist had been traveling the US for the first time, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly sadness casts a shadow, tinging everything in grey. Unsteady keys and hushed strings underscore dark reports emanating from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Walton's soft singing come across with a deadpan style, yet the album's tension arises from the keen writing—mixing stories, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—along with unexpected rich textures. Not many songs this year possess more potent storytelling style than "Shelly", which depicts the death of a deer and spirals toward a petrol-laden confrontation, reminiscent of literary pieces illuminated by glimpses of distorted cello. Tense, quiet verses with resonating, plucked guitar transition to expansive choruses, with Walton's voice digitally manipulated into a presence omniscient and menacing.
Listeners might previously be familiar with the artist from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and contributor in groups like Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect this diverse background. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, like a string band caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo with an intense, stunning, looping percussion. Thick walls of sound, skillfully produced with a long-term partner, seem at once gnarly and ethereal, and Walton's morbid, magical thinking culminate on highlight "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a twirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, with heart-aching gallows humor.
