The First Album "Daughters" Explores Sorrow and Style
Within the track "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a hotel room close to JFK airport, where Jennifer Walton receives the devastating news of her father's cancer diagnosis. This Sunderland-born artist was touring the US for the first time, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly grief takes over, tinging everything in grey. Faltering piano and soft orchestration underscore dark dispatches from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's soft vocals come across with a flat manner, while the album's intensity arises from her sharp writing—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—coupled with unexpected rich textures. Not many tracks this year possess more potent storytelling style compared to "Shelly", which depicts the death of an animal and descends into a fuel-soaked reckoning, evoking written pieces lit with glimpses of warped strings. Tense, quiet sections featuring resonating, plucked guitar move into grand choruses, and Walton's voice digitally manipulated into a presence all-knowing and menacing.
Audiences might already know the artist from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and contributor to bands like Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect her diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts with fanfare, like an ensemble caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo via a punishing, stunning, repeating drum fill. Thick layers of audio, skillfully mixed by a long-term collaborator, feel at once rough and spiritual, and her dark, enchanted thinking culminate in standout "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a twirling jig. "May your life never end in death," Walton pleads, exuding heart-aching dark comedy.
