The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style
Within this track "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a lodging near JFK airfield, where the musician receives a devastating update that her dad has illness diagnosis. This UK-raised performer had been touring America for the first time, drumming alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly sadness takes over, coloring all with melancholy. Unsteady keys and soft strings underscore dark dispatches from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Walton's gentle singing come across in a deadpan manner, yet the record's intensity arises from her keen writing—blending stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—coupled with unexpected maximalism. Few tracks recently possess more potent novelistic style compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the death of an animal and descends toward a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of written pieces illuminated by flickers of distorted strings. Anxious, subdued sections featuring resonating, strummed guitar transition into expansive refrains, and Walton's vocals digitally manipulated to become something omniscient and menacing.
Listeners may previously know the artist as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member in groups such as Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect this varied career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with flourish, like an ensemble caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the tempo with a punishing, stunning, repeating drum fill. Dense layers of audio, skillfully mixed by a longtime partner, seem both rough and ethereal, while her dark, magical thinking peak in highlight "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a twirling dance. "May your life never end in death," Walton bargains, exuding poignant gallows humor.
