The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
In this song "Miss America", listeners find themselves in a hotel room close to JFK airport, as the musician learns the devastating news of her father's cancer discovery. The Sunderland-born performer had been traveling the US on her initial visit, drumming with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly sadness casts a shadow, coloring everything in grey. Unsteady piano and soft strings underscore gothic reports from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's soft vocals come across in a flat style, yet the record's tension arises from the keen penmanship—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—along with surprising maximalism. Few tracks this year showcase more potent novelistic style than "Shelly", a piece that describes the death of a deer and spirals toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking written pieces lit by glimpses of warped cello. Tense, quiet sections with echoing, strummed strings move to expansive choruses, with Walton's voice electronically altered to become a presence all-knowing and menacing.
Audiences might previously be familiar with the artist from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member to bands like Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns draw on her diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" bursts in fanfare, like an ensemble caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the tempo with a punishing, stunning, repeating drum fill. Dense layers of audio, skillfully mixed with a long-term partner, seem both gnarly and spiritual, and her dark, magical thinking culminate on standout "Lambs", a song that briefly transforms into a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," Walton pleads, with poignant dark comedy.
