Jennifer Walton's First Record "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Elegance

Within this track "Miss America", audiences are placed in a lodging near JFK airport, as the musician receives a heartbreaking update of her father's cancer diagnosis. This UK-raised performer had been traveling the US on her initial visit, drumming with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief takes over, tinging all with melancholy. Unsteady piano and hushed orchestration accompany dark reports emanating from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Her soft vocals are delivered in a flat style, while the album's tension arises from the keen writing—blending stories, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—along with unexpected maximalism. Few tracks recently possess stronger novelistic style than "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of an animal and descends into a petrol-laden confrontation, evoking written works illuminated with glimpses of warped cello. Anxious, subdued sections featuring resonating, plucked guitar move to expansive choruses, and Walton's voice digitally manipulated to become a presence all-knowing and sinister.

Audiences may already be familiar with the artist from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and contributor to bands such as Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect her diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if an ensemble taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the tempo via a punishing, beautiful, looping percussion. Dense layers of audio, skillfully mixed by a longtime partner, feel both rough and spiritual, and Walton's dark, magical thoughts culminate in standout "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a twirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, with heart-aching gallows humor.