The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance
Within the track "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a hotel room close to JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton learns the heartbreaking update that her dad has cancer diagnosis. The UK-raised performer was traveling America on her initial visit, playing alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly grief takes over, tinging everything with melancholy. Unsteady piano and hushed orchestration underscore dark reports from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft singing are delivered in a flat manner, while this record's tension stems from the keen penmanship—mixing stories, folksy sayings, and direct personal notes—along with unexpected maximalism. Few tracks recently possess more potent storytelling style compared to "Shelly", which depicts the death of a deer and descends into a fuel-soaked confrontation, reminiscent of literary pieces illuminated with glimpses of distorted cello. Anxious, quiet sections with echoing, plucked guitar transition into expansive choruses, with her vocals digitally manipulated to become something all-knowing and sinister.
Audiences might already know the artist as an electronic producer, DJ, and contributor to bands like Caroline. Daughters' musical twists draw on this varied background. The first track "Sometimes" bursts in fanfare, as if an ensemble caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the BPM via an intense, beautiful, looping percussion. Dense layers of audio, expertly produced by a long-term collaborator, seem both gnarly and ethereal, while her morbid, enchanted thoughts culminate in highlight "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.