Jennifer Walton's Debut Album "Daughters" Explores Sorrow and Style

Within this song "Miss America", listeners find themselves in a hotel room close to JFK airport, as the musician learns the heartbreaking update of her father's cancer discovery. This Sunderland-born performer had been touring the US on her initial visit, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief takes over, coloring all in grey. Faltering keys and hushed orchestration underscore gothic reports emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Walton's gentle singing come across with a deadpan style, yet the album's intensity arises from the keen writing—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—along with surprising maximalism. Not many songs this year possess stronger novelistic flair compared to "Shelly", which depicts the killing of a deer and spirals toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, reminiscent of written pieces illuminated by flickers of distorted strings. Anxious, subdued sections featuring echoing, plucked guitar transition to grand choruses, and Walton's vocals electronically altered into a presence all-knowing and sinister.

Listeners might previously be familiar with Walton as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member to bands like Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect this varied career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with flourish, as if an ensemble caught by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo with an intense, stunning, looping drum fill. Thick walls of sound, expertly produced with a long-term partner, feel at once rough and spiritual, while Walton's morbid, magical thinking peak on standout "Lambs", which momentarily transforms into a twirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, exuding poignant dark comedy.

Eddie Reed
Eddie Reed

A seasoned gambling analyst with over a decade of experience in casino gaming and industry trends.