🔗 Share this article Jennifer Walton's Debut Record "Daughters" Explores Grief and Elegance Within this song "Miss America", listeners are placed in a lodging close to JFK airfield, as Jennifer Walton receives a heartbreaking news that her dad has illness discovery. The Sunderland-born performer was touring America on her initial visit, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly sadness casts a shadow, tinging all in grey. Faltering piano and soft orchestration accompany gothic reports from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks." Her soft vocals come across in a deadpan manner, while this album's tension arises from the sharp writing—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt personal notes—along with unexpected maximalism. Few songs recently showcase more potent storytelling flair than "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of an animal and descends toward a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of literary works lit with flickers of warped strings. Tense, quiet verses with resonating, strummed strings transition into expansive refrains, and Walton's vocals digitally manipulated to become a presence all-knowing and menacing. Listeners may already know Walton from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and member to bands like Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect this diverse background. The first track "Sometimes" bursts in flourish, as if an ensemble taken by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM via an intense, stunning, repeating drum fill. Thick layers of audio, skillfully produced by a long-term partner, seem both rough and spiritual, and her dark, magical thinking culminate on standout "Lambs", a song that briefly transforms into a swirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton bargains, with heart-aching dark comedy.