The Debut Album "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Style
Within this track "Miss America", listeners are placed inside a hotel room close to JFK airport, where Jennifer Walton receives the devastating news that her dad has illness diagnosis. The Sunderland-born performer was touring the US on her initial visit, drumming with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief takes over, tinging all in grey. Unsteady piano and hushed strings accompany dark dispatches from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her soft vocals come across in a flat style, yet the album's intensity stems from her sharp penmanship—blending stories, traditional phrases, and blunt personal notes—coupled with unexpected rich textures. Not many tracks this year showcase stronger storytelling flair than "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of a deer and spirals into a petrol-laden confrontation, reminiscent of written pieces illuminated with glimpses of warped strings. Tense, subdued verses with echoing, plucked guitar move to grand refrains, with her vocals electronically altered into a presence all-knowing and sinister.
Listeners might previously know the artist from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists draw on this diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with flourish, as if a string band caught by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the BPM via a punishing, stunning, looping percussion. Dense walls of sound, expertly produced with a longtime partner, seem at once gnarly and ethereal, while her dark, enchanted thinking culminate in highlight "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, exuding poignant gallows humor.
