Jennifer Walton's First Record "Daughters" Explores Sorrow and Style
In the track "Miss America", listeners are placed inside a hotel room close to JFK airfield, as Jennifer Walton receives a heartbreaking update of her father's cancer discovery. The Sunderland-born performer had been touring America on her initial visit, drumming with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly sadness casts a shadow, tinging all with melancholy. Unsteady piano and hushed orchestration underscore dark reports emanating from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft vocals are delivered in a flat style, while this album's intensity arises from the sharp penmanship—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt personal notes—along with surprising maximalism. Few tracks recently showcase more potent novelistic flair than "Shelly", which depicts the death of an animal and spirals toward a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of literary works illuminated by flickers of warped cello. Tense, subdued sections featuring echoing, strummed strings move to grand refrains, and Walton's vocals digitally manipulated into a presence all-knowing and menacing.
Listeners might previously know the artist from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and member in groups such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists reflect her diverse background. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if an ensemble caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo via a punishing, stunning, repeating percussion. Thick layers of audio, skillfully mixed with a long-term collaborator, seem at once rough and ethereal, and her dark, magical thoughts culminate in standout "Lambs", a song that briefly transforms into a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," Walton bargains, exuding poignant dark comedy.
