Jennifer Walton's First Record "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance

Within the track "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a lodging close to JFK airfield, where Jennifer Walton learns the devastating news of her father's cancer discovery. This UK-raised performer had been touring the US for the first time, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief takes over, tinging all in grey. Faltering keys and hushed strings underscore gothic dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Her soft singing are delivered in a flat style, yet this record's intensity stems from the keen writing—mixing fiction, traditional phrases, and blunt diary entries—coupled with surprising rich textures. Not many tracks this year possess more potent novelistic flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of a deer and descends toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking written pieces illuminated with glimpses of warped cello. Anxious, subdued sections featuring echoing, strummed strings move to grand refrains, and Walton's vocals digitally manipulated into something omniscient and menacing.

Listeners might previously be familiar with the artist from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and member to bands such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists draw on her diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if an ensemble caught unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the tempo with an intense, beautiful, looping percussion. Dense walls of sound, expertly produced by a long-term partner, feel at once rough and spiritual, and her dark, magical thoughts culminate in standout "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, with heart-aching gallows humor.