The Debut Album "Daughters" Explores Grief and Style
Within this track "Miss America", listeners are placed inside a lodging near JFK airport, where the musician receives a devastating update of her father's illness discovery. The Sunderland-born artist was touring America on her initial visit, playing alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly grief casts a shadow, coloring everything in grey. Faltering piano and soft strings accompany gothic reports from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's gentle vocals come across in a flat style, while the album's intensity stems from her sharp writing—blending fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt personal notes—along with unexpected rich textures. Not many songs recently possess more potent storytelling style compared to "Shelly", which describes the killing of an animal and descends into a petrol-laden reckoning, evoking written pieces lit by glimpses of distorted cello. Tense, subdued verses featuring echoing, strummed guitar transition to grand refrains, with her voice electronically altered to become a presence omniscient and menacing.
Listeners might previously be familiar with the artist as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member to bands like Caroline. Daughters' musical twists reflect her diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" erupts in fanfare, as if an ensemble taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM with an intense, stunning, repeating drum fill. Thick walls of sound, expertly produced by a longtime collaborator, seem at once gnarly and ethereal, while her morbid, magical thoughts peak on standout "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a twirling dance. "May your life never end in death," Walton bargains, exuding poignant dark comedy.
