The Debut Record "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance
Within the track "Miss America", audiences find themselves inside a lodging near JFK airfield, where Jennifer Walton receives a devastating news that her dad has illness diagnosis. The UK-raised artist had been traveling America for the first time, drumming with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly sadness takes over, coloring everything with melancholy. Unsteady piano and hushed strings underscore dark reports from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her gentle singing come across with a flat style, yet this album's tension stems from her keen penmanship—blending stories, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—along with surprising rich textures. Not many songs recently showcase stronger novelistic flair than "Shelly", which describes the death of an animal and descends toward a petrol-laden confrontation, evoking literary works illuminated by flickers of distorted cello. Tense, quiet sections featuring resonating, strummed strings transition into expansive refrains, and her vocals electronically altered into something omniscient and sinister.
Audiences may previously know the artist as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member to bands such as Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect this diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" bursts in flourish, as if an ensemble caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM via a punishing, stunning, repeating percussion. Thick layers of audio, expertly mixed by a longtime partner, seem at once gnarly and spiritual, and her morbid, magical thinking culminate on highlight "Lambs", which briefly becomes a twirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she bargains, exuding heart-aching dark comedy.