The Debut Record "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance
Within the track "Miss America", audiences are placed in a lodging near JFK airport, where the musician receives a heartbreaking update that her dad has illness diagnosis. The UK-raised performer had been traveling the US for the first time, playing with group Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly sadness takes over, tinging all with melancholy. Faltering piano and hushed orchestration accompany gothic dispatches from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's soft singing come across with a flat style, while the album's intensity arises from her keen writing—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—along with surprising rich textures. Not many songs recently showcase more potent storytelling flair compared to "Shelly", which depicts the death of a deer and descends into a fuel-soaked confrontation, reminiscent of written works lit by flickers of warped strings. Tense, quiet sections featuring echoing, strummed guitar transition to grand refrains, and Walton's vocals electronically altered to become a presence all-knowing and menacing.
Audiences may previously be familiar with the artist as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and contributor to bands like Caroline. Daughters' musical twists draw on this varied career. The opener "Sometimes" bursts in fanfare, as if an ensemble taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo via a punishing, beautiful, looping percussion. Dense walls of sound, expertly produced by a long-term collaborator, feel both gnarly and ethereal, while Walton's morbid, magical thinking peak on standout "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a swirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she bargains, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.
