The First Record "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance
Within this song "Miss America", listeners find themselves in a lodging close to JFK airfield, where Jennifer Walton learns the devastating update of her father's illness diagnosis. This UK-raised artist had been traveling America on her initial visit, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly sadness takes over, tinging all with melancholy. Faltering piano and hushed orchestration underscore dark dispatches from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's soft vocals are delivered with a flat manner, yet this record's intensity stems from the keen penmanship—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—along with unexpected maximalism. Not many songs recently possess more potent novelistic style than "Shelly", a piece that describes the death of a deer and descends toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking literary pieces illuminated with glimpses of distorted strings. Tense, quiet sections with resonating, strummed strings transition to expansive refrains, with Walton's vocals digitally manipulated into a presence all-knowing and sinister.
Audiences might previously know Walton from her work as a music creator, disc jockey, and member in groups such as Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect her diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" bursts with flourish, as if an ensemble caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the BPM with a punishing, beautiful, looping drum fill. Dense walls of sound, skillfully produced by a long-term partner, feel both rough and spiritual, while Walton's dark, magical thinking culminate on standout "Lambs", which momentarily transforms into a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," Walton pleads, with poignant dark comedy.
