Jennifer Walton's First Record "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Style
Within the song "Miss America", listeners find themselves inside a hotel room near JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton learns the devastating update of her father's illness discovery. The UK-raised artist was touring the US on her initial visit, drumming alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly sadness takes over, coloring all with melancholy. Unsteady piano and hushed strings accompany dark dispatches from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Walton's soft singing come across in a flat style, yet this album's intensity stems from the sharp penmanship—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—along with unexpected rich textures. Not many songs recently showcase stronger storytelling flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of an animal and spirals toward a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of written works lit by glimpses of distorted strings. Anxious, quiet verses with echoing, strummed strings move into grand choruses, and her vocals digitally manipulated into something omniscient and menacing.
Listeners may previously be familiar with the artist from her work as a music creator, disc jockey, and member to bands such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists reflect her varied background. The first track "Sometimes" erupts with flourish, as if a string band caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the tempo via an intense, stunning, looping percussion. Thick layers of audio, skillfully produced with a longtime partner, feel at once rough and spiritual, and her morbid, magical thinking peak on standout "Lambs", which briefly becomes a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, with poignant gallows humor.
