Jennifer Walton's First Record "Daughters" Explores Grief and Elegance
Within this song "Miss America", audiences find themselves inside a hotel room near JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton learns the devastating news that her dad has illness diagnosis. This Sunderland-born artist was touring the US on her initial visit, playing with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly sadness takes over, tinging all in grey. Faltering keys and soft strings accompany dark dispatches from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her soft singing are delivered in a flat manner, while this album's intensity stems from the keen writing—blending stories, folksy sayings, and direct personal notes—coupled with surprising maximalism. Few tracks recently possess stronger storytelling style than "Shelly", which depicts the death of a deer and spirals toward a petrol-laden confrontation, reminiscent of written works illuminated by glimpses of warped strings. Anxious, quiet verses with resonating, plucked guitar move into expansive choruses, with Walton's vocals electronically altered to become something omniscient and menacing.
Audiences might already be familiar with the artist from her work as a music creator, DJ, and member in groups like Caroline. Daughters' musical twists draw on this diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, like a string band caught by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo via a punishing, stunning, repeating percussion. Dense walls of sound, expertly produced by a longtime partner, seem at once rough and ethereal, and Walton's dark, magical thoughts peak on standout "Lambs", a song that momentarily becomes a swirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton bargains, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.
