Jennifer Walton's First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Style
Within this track "Miss America", listeners find themselves inside a lodging near JFK airfield, as the musician learns a devastating news of her father's illness diagnosis. This UK-raised artist had been touring the US on her initial visit, drumming with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief takes over, coloring everything in grey. Unsteady keys and hushed strings underscore gothic dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft singing come across in a flat style, yet the album's intensity stems from the sharp writing—blending fiction, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—coupled with unexpected maximalism. Few tracks recently possess more potent storytelling flair than "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of an animal and spirals into a petrol-laden confrontation, reminiscent of literary pieces illuminated with glimpses of distorted strings. Anxious, subdued verses with echoing, strummed strings move into expansive choruses, with Walton's voice electronically altered into a presence all-knowing and menacing.
Audiences might already know Walton as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and contributor to bands such as Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns reflect her diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in fanfare, like an ensemble taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo via an intense, beautiful, looping drum fill. Thick walls of sound, skillfully produced with a longtime partner, seem at once gnarly and spiritual, and Walton's morbid, enchanted thinking peak in standout "Lambs", a song that briefly transforms into a twirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton pleads, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.
