The Debut Record "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
In this song "Miss America", audiences are placed in a lodging close to JFK airport, where Jennifer Walton learns the heartbreaking update that her dad has cancer discovery. This Sunderland-born artist was traveling America on her initial visit, drumming alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief casts a shadow, tinging all in grey. Unsteady piano and hushed strings underscore gothic dispatches from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Walton's soft singing come across in a flat style, yet this record's intensity arises from the sharp writing—mixing fiction, traditional phrases, and blunt personal notes—coupled with surprising maximalism. Not many tracks recently possess more potent storytelling flair than "Shelly", which describes the killing of a deer and descends into a petrol-laden reckoning, evoking literary works lit by glimpses of distorted cello. Anxious, quiet sections with resonating, strummed strings move to grand refrains, and Walton's vocals electronically altered to become something all-knowing and sinister.
Audiences might previously be familiar with the artist as a music creator, DJ, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists reflect this varied background. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, like a string band taken by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo via a punishing, beautiful, repeating drum fill. Dense layers of audio, expertly produced with a longtime partner, seem both gnarly and ethereal, and Walton's morbid, magical thoughts peak in standout "Lambs", which momentarily transforms into a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," Walton bargains, exuding poignant dark comedy.
