The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Style
Within this track "Miss America", listeners find themselves in a lodging near JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton receives a heartbreaking news that her dad has cancer discovery. This UK-raised performer was traveling the US for the first time, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly sadness casts a shadow, tinging all in grey. Faltering keys and soft strings underscore gothic reports emanating from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her gentle singing are delivered with a deadpan manner, yet this record's tension arises from the sharp writing—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—along with surprising rich textures. Few songs this year showcase stronger novelistic flair than "Shelly", which depicts the killing of an animal and spirals into a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of literary pieces lit by flickers of warped cello. Tense, subdued verses with resonating, plucked strings move into expansive refrains, and her voice electronically altered to become a presence all-knowing and menacing.
Audiences may previously know the artist as a music creator, disc jockey, and member in groups such as Caroline. The album's sonic turns draw on this diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, like a string band taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM with a punishing, beautiful, looping percussion. Dense walls of sound, expertly mixed by a longtime partner, seem at once gnarly and spiritual, and her morbid, magical thoughts peak in highlight "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a swirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she pleads, with heart-aching dark comedy.
