The Debut Album "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Style
Within this song "Miss America", audiences are placed in a lodging near JFK airfield, as Jennifer Walton receives the heartbreaking update of her father's cancer diagnosis. This Sunderland-born performer had been touring the US for the first time, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly sadness casts a shadow, coloring all in grey. Unsteady piano and soft strings accompany gothic reports emanating from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Walton's gentle vocals are delivered with a deadpan style, yet this album's intensity arises from the keen penmanship—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—coupled with unexpected rich textures. Not many songs recently possess stronger storytelling style compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the death of an animal and spirals toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking written works illuminated with flickers of warped strings. Anxious, subdued verses featuring echoing, plucked strings move into expansive choruses, and Walton's vocals digitally manipulated to become a presence omniscient and sinister.
Audiences may previously be familiar with the artist from her work as a music creator, DJ, and member to bands such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists reflect this diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, as if a string band taken by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the BPM with an intense, stunning, looping drum fill. Thick walls of sound, expertly mixed by a longtime partner, seem both gnarly and spiritual, while her morbid, magical thinking peak in standout "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a twirling dance. "May your life never end in death," Walton bargains, exuding poignant gallows humor.
