The First Record "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
In this track "Miss America", listeners find themselves inside a lodging close to JFK airport, where the musician learns the heartbreaking news of her father's cancer diagnosis. The Sunderland-born performer was touring America on her initial visit, playing alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief casts a shadow, coloring everything in grey. Faltering piano and soft strings accompany gothic reports from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft vocals come across with a flat style, yet the album's tension arises from her sharp writing—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—coupled with surprising maximalism. Few tracks this year possess stronger novelistic flair than "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of an animal and descends into a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of literary works illuminated by flickers of distorted strings. Tense, quiet verses featuring echoing, strummed strings transition to expansive choruses, and Walton's vocals digitally manipulated to become a presence all-knowing and menacing.
Audiences may previously be familiar with Walton as a music creator, disc jockey, and contributor to bands such as Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect her varied career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, as if an ensemble caught unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo via a punishing, stunning, looping drum fill. Dense layers of audio, expertly mixed by a longtime collaborator, feel at once gnarly and ethereal, and Walton's morbid, magical thoughts culminate in standout "Lambs", which momentarily transforms into a twirling dance. "May your life never end in death," Walton bargains, with poignant dark comedy.
