The First Record "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Elegance
Within this song "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a hotel room close to JFK airfield, as Jennifer Walton receives the heartbreaking update of her father's cancer discovery. The UK-raised artist had been touring the US for the first time, playing alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly grief casts a shadow, tinging everything with melancholy. Faltering piano and soft strings accompany dark reports from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft vocals come across with a deadpan style, yet this record's intensity stems from her sharp writing—blending stories, folksy sayings, and direct personal notes—along with unexpected rich textures. Few songs this year showcase stronger novelistic flair than "Shelly", which depicts the death of an animal and spirals toward a petrol-laden reckoning, evoking written pieces illuminated with flickers of warped strings. Tense, subdued verses featuring resonating, plucked strings transition into expansive choruses, and Walton's vocals digitally manipulated to become something omniscient and menacing.
Audiences might already know Walton as a music creator, DJ, and contributor in groups like Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect her diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" erupts with fanfare, like a string band caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the BPM with a punishing, stunning, looping drum fill. Thick layers of audio, skillfully produced by a long-term collaborator, seem both rough and ethereal, while Walton's dark, enchanted thinking culminate in highlight "Lambs", which briefly becomes a twirling jig. "May your life never end in death," Walton pleads, with heart-aching dark comedy.
