Jennifer Walton's Debut Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
Within the track "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a hotel room close to JFK airfield, where the musician learns a devastating news that her dad has cancer discovery. The Sunderland-born artist was traveling the US on her initial visit, playing alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief takes over, coloring everything in grey. Unsteady piano and hushed orchestration underscore gothic dispatches emanating from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's soft singing are delivered with a flat style, while the album's intensity arises from her keen writing—blending stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—along with surprising maximalism. Few tracks recently showcase stronger storytelling flair than "Shelly", which depicts the death of a deer and spirals toward a petrol-laden confrontation, evoking literary works illuminated with flickers of distorted cello. Anxious, subdued verses featuring echoing, plucked guitar move into expansive choruses, with Walton's vocals digitally manipulated to become a presence omniscient and sinister.
Listeners may already be familiar with the artist from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member to bands like Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect her varied career. The opener "Sometimes" bursts in flourish, as if an ensemble caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the BPM via an intense, stunning, looping drum fill. Dense layers of audio, skillfully mixed with a longtime partner, seem both gnarly and spiritual, and her morbid, magical thinking culminate in standout "Lambs", which momentarily becomes a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, exuding poignant dark comedy.