The First Record "Daughters" Explores Sorrow and Elegance
In this track "Miss America", listeners find themselves inside a hotel room close to JFK airport, where Jennifer Walton receives a devastating news that her dad has illness discovery. The UK-raised performer had been touring the US on her initial visit, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly sadness casts a shadow, coloring all in grey. Faltering piano and hushed strings underscore dark dispatches emanating from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her soft singing come across in a flat style, yet this record's tension stems from the sharp penmanship—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and direct personal notes—coupled with unexpected maximalism. Not many tracks recently showcase more potent novelistic style compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the death of an animal and descends toward a fuel-soaked reckoning, evoking written pieces illuminated with glimpses of distorted strings. Tense, quiet sections featuring resonating, plucked strings move into grand choruses, with Walton's voice digitally manipulated to become a presence omniscient and sinister.
Audiences might previously be familiar with the artist from her work as a music creator, disc jockey, and member in groups like Caroline. The album's musical twists draw on this diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts in fanfare, like an ensemble caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM with a punishing, stunning, repeating drum fill. Dense walls of sound, expertly produced with a longtime collaborator, feel both gnarly and ethereal, and her dark, magical thinking peak on highlight "Lambs", which briefly becomes a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," Walton pleads, with poignant dark comedy.