Jennifer Walton's Debut Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance
In this track "Miss America", listeners find themselves inside a hotel room close to JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton learns the heartbreaking news of her father's illness discovery. This UK-raised artist was traveling the US for the first time, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly sadness casts a shadow, tinging everything with melancholy. Faltering piano and soft strings underscore gothic reports emanating from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her gentle singing are delivered in a flat style, yet the album's intensity stems from her sharp penmanship—mixing fiction, traditional phrases, and blunt personal notes—along with surprising maximalism. Few tracks this year showcase more potent novelistic flair than "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of an animal and spirals into a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of literary works lit by glimpses of warped cello. Tense, subdued sections featuring resonating, strummed guitar move to expansive choruses, with her voice electronically altered to become a presence omniscient and menacing.
Audiences might already know the artist from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and member to bands like Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns reflect her varied background. The opener "Sometimes" bursts with flourish, as if a string band taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the tempo via a punishing, stunning, looping percussion. Thick layers of audio, skillfully mixed by a long-term partner, feel both gnarly and spiritual, and Walton's dark, magical thinking culminate in standout "Lambs", a song that momentarily becomes a twirling jig. "May your life never end in death," Walton pleads, with heart-aching dark comedy.
