The Debut Record "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Style
Within the song "Miss America", listeners are placed in a hotel room near JFK airfield, as the musician learns the heartbreaking news of her father's illness discovery. The Sunderland-born performer was traveling America for the first time, drumming alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly grief casts a shadow, tinging everything with melancholy. Faltering piano and soft strings underscore gothic reports emanating from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft vocals come across with a deadpan style, while this album's intensity arises from her sharp penmanship—mixing stories, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—coupled with unexpected maximalism. Not many songs recently showcase stronger novelistic flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of a deer and spirals into a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking literary works illuminated with glimpses of distorted strings. Anxious, subdued sections featuring resonating, plucked guitar transition to grand choruses, and Walton's voice electronically altered to become a presence all-knowing and sinister.
Audiences might already know Walton as a music creator, DJ, and member to bands such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists draw on her diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, like an ensemble taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the tempo via an intense, beautiful, repeating percussion. Thick layers of audio, skillfully produced by a longtime collaborator, feel both rough and ethereal, while Walton's dark, enchanted thoughts culminate in standout "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a swirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she bargains, with heart-aching dark comedy.
