Jennifer Walton's First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
Within the song "Miss America", listeners find themselves in a hotel room near JFK airfield, as Jennifer Walton receives a heartbreaking news that her dad has illness diagnosis. This UK-raised artist had been traveling America on her initial visit, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly grief takes over, tinging all with melancholy. Unsteady keys and soft strings accompany gothic dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her soft vocals are delivered in a deadpan style, while the record's intensity stems from the sharp penmanship—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—coupled with unexpected rich textures. Not many tracks this year showcase stronger storytelling style compared to "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of a deer and spirals toward a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of literary pieces illuminated by glimpses of warped cello. Tense, quiet verses featuring resonating, plucked guitar move into expansive choruses, with her vocals electronically altered to become something all-knowing and menacing.
Listeners might previously be familiar with Walton as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and contributor to bands like Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns draw on her varied career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if a string band caught unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the tempo with an intense, stunning, looping drum fill. Thick walls of sound, skillfully produced by a long-term partner, seem at once gnarly and spiritual, while her dark, magical thinking peak in standout "Lambs", which briefly becomes a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," Walton pleads, exuding poignant dark comedy.
