The Debut Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
Within this song "Miss America", listeners are placed inside a lodging close to JFK airfield, as Jennifer Walton receives the devastating news of her father's illness diagnosis. The UK-raised performer was traveling America on her initial visit, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly sadness casts a shadow, tinging all with melancholy. Unsteady keys and hushed orchestration underscore dark dispatches from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft singing come across with a deadpan style, yet the record's tension stems from the keen penmanship—blending stories, folksy sayings, and direct personal notes—along with surprising rich textures. Few songs this year possess more potent novelistic flair than "Shelly", which describes the killing of a deer and descends toward a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of written pieces illuminated by flickers of warped cello. Anxious, quiet sections featuring echoing, plucked strings move into grand choruses, and her voice electronically altered into a presence all-knowing and sinister.
Audiences may previously know the artist from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and member in groups like Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns draw on her varied career. The opener "Sometimes" erupts with fanfare, as if an ensemble taken unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the BPM with an intense, beautiful, looping percussion. Thick layers of audio, skillfully produced by a longtime partner, feel at once rough and ethereal, while her dark, magical thoughts peak in highlight "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a twirling dance. "May your life never end in death," Walton bargains, exuding poignant gallows humor.
