Jennifer Walton's First Record "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Style
In the track "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a hotel room near JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton receives a devastating news of her father's cancer diagnosis. This UK-raised performer was traveling America for the first time, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief takes over, tinging all in grey. Faltering piano and soft strings accompany dark reports emanating from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her gentle vocals are delivered with a deadpan style, while this record's tension stems from the sharp writing—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and direct personal notes—along with unexpected maximalism. Not many songs this year showcase stronger storytelling flair than "Shelly", which depicts the killing of a deer and spirals into a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of literary works illuminated with flickers of warped strings. Tense, subdued verses featuring resonating, plucked strings transition to grand refrains, and Walton's vocals electronically altered into something omniscient and menacing.
Audiences might previously know Walton as a music creator, disc jockey, and member in groups such as Caroline. The album's sonic turns draw on her diverse background. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, like a string band taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM with a punishing, beautiful, looping percussion. Dense layers of audio, expertly mixed with a longtime partner, seem at once rough and ethereal, and Walton's morbid, enchanted thoughts peak on highlight "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a twirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton pleads, with heart-aching gallows humor.
