Jennifer Walton's Debut Album "Daughters" Explores Grief and Elegance
In the track "Miss America", listeners are placed in a hotel room near JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton receives the devastating update of her father's cancer diagnosis. This Sunderland-born performer was traveling America on her initial visit, drumming alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly sadness casts a shadow, coloring everything in grey. Faltering piano and soft orchestration underscore dark dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her soft singing come across with a deadpan style, while this album's intensity arises from her sharp penmanship—blending stories, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—along with surprising maximalism. Not many tracks recently possess stronger storytelling style than "Shelly", which describes the killing of a deer and spirals toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, reminiscent of written pieces lit with glimpses of warped cello. Anxious, quiet sections featuring echoing, plucked guitar move into expansive choruses, with her voice digitally manipulated to become something all-knowing and sinister.
Listeners might previously be familiar with the artist from her work as a music creator, disc jockey, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. The album's musical twists draw on her varied background. The opener "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if a string band taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the tempo with an intense, beautiful, looping percussion. Dense layers of audio, expertly produced by a longtime partner, seem at once gnarly and ethereal, and her morbid, magical thoughts peak on standout "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a twirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton bargains, with poignant gallows humor.
