Jennifer Walton's First Record "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Elegance
Within this song "Miss America", listeners find themselves inside a hotel room close to JFK airfield, where Jennifer Walton learns a devastating news that her dad has cancer diagnosis. The UK-raised performer was touring America on her initial visit, playing with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief takes over, tinging everything in grey. Unsteady piano and soft orchestration underscore dark dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her gentle vocals come across in a flat style, yet the record's intensity stems from the sharp penmanship—blending fiction, traditional phrases, and blunt personal notes—coupled with unexpected maximalism. Few songs recently showcase stronger storytelling style compared to "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of an animal and spirals into a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of literary pieces illuminated with glimpses of distorted cello. Anxious, subdued verses with echoing, plucked strings move into grand choruses, and her vocals digitally manipulated into something all-knowing and menacing.
Audiences might already know the artist from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member to bands like Caroline. The album's musical twists draw on her diverse background. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in fanfare, as if a string band taken unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo with an intense, beautiful, looping drum fill. Dense layers of audio, skillfully produced by a long-term partner, feel at once gnarly and spiritual, and Walton's dark, magical thinking peak on highlight "Lambs", which momentarily transforms into a swirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she pleads, with poignant dark comedy.
