The Debut Album "Daughters" Explores Sorrow and Elegance
In the song "Miss America", listeners are placed inside a lodging near JFK airfield, where the musician learns the devastating news of her father's cancer diagnosis. This UK-raised artist was traveling America on her initial visit, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly sadness takes over, tinging everything with melancholy. Unsteady keys and hushed orchestration underscore dark reports from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's soft singing are delivered in a flat style, while the record's intensity stems from the keen writing—mixing stories, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—coupled with surprising rich textures. Few tracks recently possess more potent novelistic style compared to "Shelly", which describes the killing of a deer and descends into a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking written pieces lit with glimpses of distorted strings. Anxious, subdued verses with resonating, plucked guitar transition into grand choruses, and Walton's vocals electronically altered into a presence all-knowing and menacing.
Listeners might previously be familiar with Walton as a music creator, disc jockey, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists reflect her diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if an ensemble caught unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the tempo via a punishing, stunning, looping percussion. Thick layers of audio, skillfully mixed by a longtime partner, feel both rough and spiritual, and Walton's morbid, magical thinking peak on highlight "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," Walton pleads, with poignant gallows humor.