Jennifer Walton's First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
In the song "Miss America", listeners are placed inside a hotel room near JFK airfield, as the musician receives a devastating news of her father's illness diagnosis. The Sunderland-born performer had been touring America for the first time, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly sadness takes over, tinging all in grey. Unsteady piano and soft strings underscore dark dispatches from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her soft vocals come across with a flat manner, while the record's intensity arises from her keen penmanship—blending stories, traditional phrases, and blunt diary entries—along with surprising maximalism. Not many songs recently showcase stronger storytelling style than "Shelly", which depicts the killing of an animal and spirals into a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking literary pieces illuminated by glimpses of distorted strings. Tense, subdued verses featuring echoing, strummed strings transition to grand choruses, and Walton's vocals electronically altered into something all-knowing and menacing.
Listeners may previously be familiar with Walton from her work as a music creator, disc jockey, and contributor to bands like Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect this diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" erupts with fanfare, as if an ensemble taken by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the BPM via a punishing, stunning, repeating drum fill. Thick walls of sound, expertly produced by a long-term partner, seem at once rough and spiritual, and her morbid, enchanted thoughts peak on standout "Lambs", which briefly becomes a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, exuding poignant gallows humor.
