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

In this track "Miss America", audiences find themselves inside a hotel room close to JFK airport, as the musician receives a devastating news of her father's illness discovery. The Sunderland-born performer had been traveling the US for the first time, drumming with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief casts a shadow, tinging all with melancholy. Unsteady keys and soft orchestration underscore dark dispatches emanating from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Her soft singing come across with a flat manner, yet the record's intensity stems from her keen penmanship—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—along with surprising maximalism. Few tracks recently showcase stronger storytelling style compared to "Shelly", a piece that depicts the death of a deer and descends into a fuel-soaked reckoning, evoking literary works lit with flickers of warped cello. Tense, quiet sections with resonating, strummed guitar transition into grand choruses, and Walton's voice electronically altered into a presence all-knowing and sinister.

Audiences might previously be familiar with Walton from her work as a music creator, DJ, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect this varied career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if a string band caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the tempo with a punishing, stunning, looping drum fill. Thick layers of audio, skillfully produced by a longtime partner, seem at once rough and ethereal, and Walton's dark, enchanted thinking culminate in standout "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a twirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, with poignant dark comedy.

Timothy Howard
Timothy Howard

A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering consumer electronics and digital innovation, passionate about making tech accessible.