Jennifer Walton's First Record "Daughters" Explores Sorrow and Elegance

Within this song "Miss America", listeners are placed in a lodging close to JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton receives a heartbreaking update that her dad has illness discovery. The Sunderland-born performer was touring America on her initial visit, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly sadness takes over, tinging everything in grey. Unsteady piano and hushed strings underscore gothic dispatches from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Her soft vocals come across with a flat manner, while the album's tension stems from the keen penmanship—blending stories, traditional phrases, and direct personal notes—along with unexpected maximalism. Few tracks recently possess more potent storytelling flair than "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of a deer and spirals toward a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of written pieces lit with flickers of warped cello. Anxious, quiet verses featuring echoing, strummed strings move to expansive choruses, with Walton's vocals electronically altered to become something omniscient and sinister.

Listeners may previously know the artist from her work as a music creator, DJ, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. The album's sonic turns draw on this diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts with flourish, like a string band taken unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM with a punishing, stunning, repeating drum fill. Dense walls of sound, skillfully mixed by a longtime partner, seem both rough and spiritual, and her dark, magical thinking culminate in standout "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a swirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton pleads, with heart-aching gallows humor.

Donald Hutchinson
Donald Hutchinson

A seasoned streamer and digital content creator with over a decade of experience in building online communities.