The First Album "Daughters" Explores Grief and Style
Within the track "Miss America", listeners are placed in a hotel room near JFK airport, where Jennifer Walton learns a devastating update of her father's cancer diagnosis. This UK-raised performer had been traveling the US on her initial visit, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly grief casts a shadow, coloring everything in grey. Faltering piano and hushed strings underscore gothic reports from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her gentle vocals are delivered with a deadpan manner, while the record's tension arises from her keen writing—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—along with surprising rich textures. Few tracks this year showcase stronger storytelling flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of an animal and spirals toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, reminiscent of written pieces lit by glimpses of warped cello. Anxious, subdued sections with echoing, plucked guitar move into grand choruses, and Walton's voice electronically altered to become a presence omniscient and sinister.
Audiences may already know the artist from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member to bands such as Caroline. The album's musical twists draw on this varied career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts in fanfare, like a string band caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the tempo with an intense, beautiful, looping percussion. Thick walls of sound, skillfully mixed with a longtime collaborator, seem at once gnarly and ethereal, while her dark, magical thinking peak on standout "Lambs", which momentarily becomes a swirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton pleads, with poignant dark comedy.
