Jennifer Walton's First Record "Daughters" Explores Grief and Elegance
Within this song "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a lodging close to JFK airfield, where Jennifer Walton receives the heartbreaking news that her dad has cancer discovery. This Sunderland-born artist had been traveling America on her initial visit, playing alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief casts a shadow, tinging everything with melancholy. Faltering piano and hushed strings accompany gothic reports emanating from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's gentle vocals are delivered with a deadpan manner, yet the album's intensity stems from her sharp writing—blending fiction, folksy sayings, and direct personal notes—coupled with unexpected maximalism. Not many songs this year showcase stronger novelistic style than "Shelly", which depicts the death of a deer and descends toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking written pieces illuminated by flickers of warped cello. Tense, quiet sections featuring resonating, plucked strings move into grand choruses, and Walton's vocals digitally manipulated to become a presence all-knowing and sinister.
Audiences may previously know the artist from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and contributor to bands such as Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect her diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, like an ensemble taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the tempo with an intense, stunning, looping drum fill. Thick layers of audio, skillfully produced with a longtime collaborator, feel both gnarly and ethereal, while her dark, enchanted thoughts culminate in standout "Lambs", which briefly becomes a twirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton bargains, with poignant dark comedy.
