The Debut Record "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Style

In this song "Miss America", listeners find themselves in a hotel room close to JFK airfield, where Jennifer Walton learns the heartbreaking news of her father's illness diagnosis. The Sunderland-born artist had been traveling the US for the first time, playing alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly grief takes over, coloring everything with melancholy. Faltering keys and hushed orchestration accompany dark dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Walton's gentle singing are delivered with a deadpan manner, while the album's intensity arises from the keen penmanship—blending stories, traditional phrases, and direct personal notes—along with surprising rich textures. Few tracks recently possess more potent novelistic flair than "Shelly", a piece that describes the death of an animal and descends into a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of literary works lit with flickers of warped cello. Tense, subdued sections with resonating, strummed strings transition to expansive refrains, and her voice electronically altered into a presence omniscient and sinister.

Audiences might already know the artist from her work as a music creator, DJ, and member to bands like Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect her diverse background. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, as if a string band caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the BPM via an intense, stunning, looping drum fill. Thick layers of audio, expertly produced with a longtime collaborator, feel at once rough and ethereal, while Walton's morbid, magical thoughts culminate in highlight "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a swirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she pleads, with heart-aching dark comedy.

Richard Reyes
Richard Reyes

A fashion journalist with over a decade of experience covering urban trends and sustainable streetwear, based in Berlin.