The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
Within the track "Miss America", listeners are placed inside a lodging near JFK airport, as the musician receives a devastating update that her dad has illness diagnosis. This Sunderland-born artist had been touring America on her initial visit, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief casts a shadow, tinging all in grey. Unsteady keys and soft orchestration accompany dark reports emanating from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her soft singing are delivered with a deadpan manner, while the album's intensity stems from her sharp penmanship—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—along with unexpected maximalism. Not many tracks recently showcase more potent novelistic flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of an animal and spirals toward a petrol-laden confrontation, reminiscent of written works illuminated with flickers of distorted strings. Tense, quiet sections with resonating, strummed strings move into grand refrains, with her voice digitally manipulated into a presence all-knowing and menacing.
Listeners may already know Walton from her work as a music creator, DJ, and member in groups like Caroline. Daughters' musical twists reflect this diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" bursts in fanfare, like an ensemble taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the BPM via a punishing, beautiful, repeating drum fill. Dense walls of sound, skillfully mixed by a longtime collaborator, seem both rough and spiritual, while Walton's dark, enchanted thoughts culminate in highlight "Lambs", a song that momentarily becomes a twirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she bargains, with poignant dark comedy.
