Jennifer Walton's First Record "Daughters" Explores Sorrow and Style

Within this song "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a lodging close to JFK airport, as the musician receives a devastating news of her father's illness discovery. The UK-raised artist was touring the US on her initial visit, playing with group Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly grief takes over, coloring all in grey. Unsteady keys and hushed orchestration accompany gothic dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Her soft vocals are delivered in a deadpan manner, while the album's tension stems from her keen penmanship—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt personal notes—coupled with surprising maximalism. Few songs recently possess stronger novelistic style compared to "Shelly", which depicts the death of a deer and spirals toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, reminiscent of written works lit with glimpses of distorted cello. Anxious, subdued sections featuring echoing, strummed guitar transition to expansive choruses, and Walton's vocals digitally manipulated into a presence omniscient and menacing.

Audiences might already know the artist from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and contributor to bands like Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns draw on this diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts in flourish, like a string band caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the BPM with a punishing, beautiful, repeating drum fill. Dense layers of audio, skillfully mixed with a longtime partner, feel both gnarly and ethereal, and her morbid, enchanted thoughts culminate in highlight "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a twirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton pleads, exuding heart-aching dark comedy.