Jennifer Walton's Debut Album "Daughters" Explores Sorrow and Style
In this track "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a lodging close to JFK airfield, where the musician learns a devastating update that her dad has cancer discovery. This Sunderland-born performer was touring the US on her initial visit, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly sadness casts a shadow, coloring all in grey. Faltering piano and hushed orchestration accompany dark dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Walton's gentle vocals come across in a deadpan manner, yet the record's intensity stems from the sharp penmanship—blending fiction, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—coupled with surprising maximalism. Few tracks recently possess more potent storytelling style than "Shelly", a piece that describes the death of a deer and spirals toward a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of written works lit by flickers of warped strings. Anxious, quiet verses featuring resonating, plucked guitar move into expansive choruses, and her voice digitally manipulated into a presence omniscient and sinister.
Audiences may already be familiar with Walton from her work as a music creator, DJ, and member in groups like Caroline. The album's sonic turns draw on her varied career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts in flourish, as if an ensemble taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the tempo with an intense, stunning, looping percussion. Thick layers of audio, skillfully mixed with a long-term partner, seem at once rough and spiritual, while her morbid, magical thinking peak on highlight "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a swirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton pleads, with heart-aching dark comedy.