The First Record "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance
Within this song "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a lodging near JFK airport, where the musician learns a devastating update that her dad has cancer discovery. The UK-raised artist had been touring America on her initial visit, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly sadness casts a shadow, tinging everything with melancholy. Unsteady keys and hushed orchestration underscore dark reports from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Walton's soft singing are delivered with a flat style, while this album's tension stems from the sharp penmanship—blending stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—along with surprising maximalism. Few tracks recently possess more potent storytelling flair than "Shelly", a piece that describes the death of a deer and descends toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, reminiscent of literary pieces illuminated with glimpses of warped cello. Tense, subdued verses with resonating, strummed guitar transition to expansive refrains, with Walton's vocals digitally manipulated to become something all-knowing and sinister.
Listeners may already be familiar with the artist from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect her diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" bursts in flourish, as if a string band caught by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the BPM with an intense, beautiful, looping percussion. Dense walls of sound, skillfully mixed with a longtime collaborator, feel both gnarly and ethereal, and her morbid, enchanted thoughts culminate on standout "Lambs", which momentarily transforms into a swirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton bargains, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.