The Debut Record "Daughters" Explores Grief and Elegance
Within this song "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a lodging close to JFK airport, where the musician learns the devastating news that her dad has illness diagnosis. The Sunderland-born artist was touring the US for the first time, drumming with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly grief casts a shadow, coloring all with melancholy. Faltering piano and soft strings accompany dark dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft vocals come across in a deadpan manner, while this record's intensity stems from her sharp penmanship—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—coupled with surprising maximalism. Few tracks this year showcase more potent novelistic style compared to "Shelly", which depicts the death of a deer and descends into a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of written pieces illuminated by glimpses of distorted cello. Tense, quiet verses with echoing, plucked guitar move into expansive choruses, and Walton's voice electronically altered into something all-knowing and menacing.
Audiences might already be familiar with Walton from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and member to bands like Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect this diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, like a string band taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM with an intense, stunning, looping drum fill. Dense layers of audio, expertly mixed with a longtime collaborator, feel at once rough and spiritual, and her dark, magical thinking culminate on highlight "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a twirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.
