The Debut Album "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Elegance

Within this song "Miss America", listeners find themselves inside a hotel room close to JFK airport, where Jennifer Walton learns a devastating news of her father's cancer diagnosis. The Sunderland-born artist was traveling the US on her initial visit, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly sadness casts a shadow, tinging all with melancholy. Unsteady piano and soft orchestration accompany dark dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Walton's soft vocals are delivered in a flat style, while this record's intensity arises from her keen penmanship—mixing stories, folksy sayings, and direct personal notes—coupled with surprising maximalism. Not many songs recently showcase stronger novelistic style compared to "Shelly", which describes the death of a deer and spirals toward a petrol-laden confrontation, reminiscent of literary works lit with glimpses of warped strings. Tense, quiet verses with echoing, strummed guitar move into grand choruses, with Walton's voice digitally manipulated to become a presence all-knowing and menacing.

Listeners may already know the artist as a music creator, DJ, and member to bands such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists reflect her varied career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if an ensemble taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM with a punishing, beautiful, repeating drum fill. Dense layers of audio, expertly produced with a longtime collaborator, feel at once rough and ethereal, while her dark, magical thinking culminate on highlight "Lambs", a song that briefly transforms into a swirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she pleads, with poignant dark comedy.

Chelsea Price
Chelsea Price

A gaming technology specialist with over a decade of experience in casino systems and software development.

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