Jennifer Walton's Debut Record "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Elegance
Within this song "Miss America", audiences are placed in a hotel room near JFK airfield, as Jennifer Walton learns the heartbreaking news of her father's cancer diagnosis. This UK-raised artist had been touring the US for the first time, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief casts a shadow, coloring everything with melancholy. Faltering piano and hushed orchestration underscore gothic reports from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Walton's soft singing come across with a deadpan manner, yet this record's intensity arises from her sharp penmanship—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and blunt personal notes—coupled with unexpected rich textures. Not many songs recently possess more potent storytelling style compared to "Shelly", a piece that depicts the death of an animal and descends toward a petrol-laden reckoning, evoking written works lit by flickers of warped cello. Tense, quiet sections with resonating, plucked guitar move to expansive refrains, with her voice digitally manipulated into a presence all-knowing and sinister.
Listeners may already know Walton as a music creator, disc jockey, and contributor in groups like Caroline. The album's musical twists draw on her diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, like a string band taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the tempo with an intense, beautiful, repeating percussion. Dense layers of audio, expertly mixed by a long-term partner, seem at once rough and spiritual, while Walton's dark, enchanted thinking culminate on highlight "Lambs", which momentarily transforms into a twirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she pleads, with poignant dark comedy.
