Jennifer Walton's First Album "Daughters" Explores Sorrow and Style
In this song "Miss America", audiences are placed in a hotel room close to JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton learns the devastating update of her father's illness diagnosis. This Sunderland-born artist was traveling the US for the first time, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly grief takes over, coloring everything in grey. Faltering piano and hushed orchestration underscore gothic reports emanating from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her gentle vocals are delivered with a flat style, while this record's tension stems from the sharp penmanship—blending fiction, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—coupled with surprising rich textures. Few songs recently possess stronger storytelling flair than "Shelly", which depicts the death of an animal and descends into a petrol-laden reckoning, evoking literary works illuminated with flickers of warped cello. Anxious, subdued sections featuring resonating, strummed guitar move into grand refrains, and her voice electronically altered into a presence omniscient and menacing.
Audiences might already know the artist as a music creator, DJ, and member in groups such as Caroline. The album's sonic turns draw on her diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, like an ensemble caught unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the BPM via an intense, stunning, looping drum fill. Thick layers of audio, expertly mixed by a long-term collaborator, seem at once rough and ethereal, while Walton's morbid, magical thinking culminate in standout "Lambs", which momentarily becomes a twirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, with poignant dark comedy.
