The Debut Album "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Style

Within the track "Miss America", audiences find themselves inside a hotel room close to JFK airfield, where Jennifer Walton receives a heartbreaking update that her dad has cancer discovery. This Sunderland-born performer was traveling America for the first time, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly sadness casts a shadow, coloring all with melancholy. Faltering keys and soft strings accompany dark reports emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Her gentle singing come across in a deadpan style, while the record's tension stems from the keen penmanship—blending fiction, traditional phrases, and blunt diary entries—along with surprising rich textures. Not many tracks recently showcase stronger storytelling flair compared to "Shelly", which describes the killing of a deer and descends toward a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of literary works illuminated by glimpses of warped strings. Tense, quiet sections with echoing, strummed strings transition to grand choruses, and her vocals digitally manipulated to become something omniscient and sinister.

Listeners may previously know Walton from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member in groups such as Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect her diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" erupts in fanfare, like an ensemble taken unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the tempo via an intense, beautiful, looping drum fill. Dense layers of audio, skillfully mixed with a longtime partner, seem both rough and ethereal, while her morbid, enchanted thoughts culminate on highlight "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a twirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.

Jamie Hernandez
Jamie Hernandez

A tech entrepreneur and writer with over a decade of experience in digital transformation and startup ecosystems.