The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
Within this song "Miss America", listeners find themselves inside a lodging near JFK airfield, as the musician learns a heartbreaking news of her father's cancer diagnosis. This Sunderland-born artist had been traveling the US for the first time, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief takes over, tinging all in grey. Unsteady piano and soft orchestration accompany dark reports from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft vocals are delivered with a flat style, while this record's tension stems from the sharp penmanship—blending fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt personal notes—along with surprising maximalism. Not many tracks recently possess more potent storytelling style compared to "Shelly", which describes the killing of an animal and spirals into a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking literary works lit with flickers of distorted strings. Tense, subdued sections with resonating, plucked guitar transition to grand refrains, and her voice digitally manipulated into a presence all-knowing and menacing.
Audiences may previously be familiar with the artist as an electronic producer, DJ, and member in groups like Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect this varied career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts with flourish, as if an ensemble taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the tempo via a punishing, beautiful, repeating drum fill. Dense layers of audio, expertly produced by a longtime collaborator, seem both gnarly and ethereal, while her dark, enchanted thoughts culminate in highlight "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a twirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton bargains, exuding poignant dark comedy.
