The Debut Record "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Style
In this track "Miss America", audiences are placed in a lodging near JFK airport, as the musician receives the devastating update of her father's cancer diagnosis. This UK-raised artist had been traveling the US on her initial visit, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief takes over, tinging all with melancholy. Faltering piano and soft strings accompany gothic reports from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her gentle vocals are delivered in a deadpan manner, yet this record's intensity stems from her keen penmanship—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and blunt diary entries—along with unexpected rich textures. Not many songs recently possess more potent storytelling style compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the death of a deer and descends toward a petrol-laden confrontation, reminiscent of literary pieces lit by flickers of warped strings. Anxious, quiet verses featuring resonating, plucked guitar move to expansive choruses, with Walton's vocals electronically altered to become a presence omniscient and menacing.
Audiences may previously know the artist from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and member to bands like Caroline. Daughters' musical twists draw on this varied career. The opener "Sometimes" bursts in fanfare, like an ensemble caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the BPM via a punishing, beautiful, looping drum fill. Thick layers of audio, skillfully produced by a longtime collaborator, feel at once gnarly and spiritual, while her morbid, enchanted thinking culminate on highlight "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, exuding poignant dark comedy.
