The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
In the track "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a hotel room near JFK airport, as the musician learns a heartbreaking update that her dad has illness diagnosis. The Sunderland-born artist had been traveling the US on her initial visit, playing with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly sadness casts a shadow, coloring everything in grey. Faltering piano and hushed strings underscore gothic dispatches emanating from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's gentle singing are delivered with a deadpan manner, yet this album's intensity stems from the sharp penmanship—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and blunt diary entries—coupled with unexpected rich textures. Not many songs this year possess stronger storytelling flair compared to "Shelly", which depicts the death of an animal and descends toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, reminiscent of literary pieces illuminated by flickers of distorted cello. Anxious, subdued verses featuring echoing, strummed guitar move to grand refrains, with Walton's voice electronically altered into a presence all-knowing and sinister.
Audiences might previously know Walton as a music creator, DJ, and member in groups like Caroline. Daughters' musical twists draw on her diverse background. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with flourish, like a string band caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the BPM with an intense, beautiful, repeating percussion. Dense walls of sound, expertly mixed by a longtime collaborator, feel at once rough and ethereal, and her dark, enchanted thinking peak on standout "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a twirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, with heart-aching dark comedy.
