The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance

Within the track "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a lodging near JFK airfield, as the musician learns a devastating news of her father's cancer discovery. This Sunderland-born artist was touring America on her initial visit, playing alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly sadness takes over, coloring all with melancholy. Unsteady keys and soft orchestration underscore dark dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Her gentle vocals are delivered with a deadpan manner, yet the album's intensity stems from her keen penmanship—mixing stories, folksy sayings, and direct personal notes—along with surprising maximalism. Not many tracks recently showcase stronger novelistic style compared to "Shelly", which depicts the killing of a deer and descends toward a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of written pieces lit with glimpses of distorted strings. Tense, subdued sections with resonating, strummed guitar transition to expansive refrains, with Walton's voice electronically altered to become a presence omniscient and sinister.

Audiences may already know Walton as an electronic producer, DJ, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns reflect this varied career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts in flourish, like a string band taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the tempo with an intense, beautiful, looping percussion. Thick layers of audio, expertly produced by a long-term collaborator, feel at once rough and ethereal, while Walton's dark, magical thinking culminate in standout "Lambs", which momentarily transforms into a twirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she pleads, with heart-aching gallows humor.