The Debut Record "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance
In this song "Miss America", listeners are placed inside a hotel room near JFK airport, where the musician learns a heartbreaking update of her father's cancer discovery. The UK-raised artist was traveling America for the first time, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly sadness takes over, coloring all with melancholy. Faltering keys and hushed strings accompany dark reports emanating from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Walton's soft vocals come across with a deadpan manner, while the album's tension arises from the sharp penmanship—blending stories, traditional phrases, and blunt diary entries—along with unexpected rich textures. Few songs this year possess more potent storytelling flair compared to "Shelly", which depicts the killing of a deer and spirals toward a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of literary works lit by glimpses of distorted cello. Tense, quiet verses with resonating, plucked strings transition to expansive refrains, and her voice electronically altered into a presence all-knowing and sinister.
Listeners may already know Walton from her work as a music creator, DJ, and member in groups such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists reflect her diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts with fanfare, like an ensemble caught unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo with a punishing, stunning, looping drum fill. Dense walls of sound, expertly mixed by a long-term partner, seem at once gnarly and spiritual, and Walton's dark, magical thoughts culminate in highlight "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a twirling jig. "May your life never end in death," Walton pleads, exuding poignant dark comedy.
