The First Record "Daughters" Explores Sorrow and Elegance

In this track "Miss America", listeners are placed in a hotel room close to JFK airfield, as the musician learns the heartbreaking update that her dad has illness discovery. This UK-raised artist had been traveling the US on her initial visit, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly grief takes over, tinging everything with melancholy. Unsteady piano and hushed orchestration underscore dark reports emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Her gentle singing are delivered in a deadpan style, while this record's tension stems from her keen writing—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—coupled with surprising rich textures. Not many songs recently showcase more potent novelistic flair compared to "Shelly", which depicts the killing of a deer and descends toward a petrol-laden confrontation, evoking literary pieces lit by glimpses of warped cello. Tense, quiet sections featuring echoing, strummed guitar move into expansive refrains, and her voice digitally manipulated to become something omniscient and menacing.

Listeners may already be familiar with Walton from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and contributor to bands like Caroline. Daughters' musical twists draw on this diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" erupts in fanfare, as if a string band taken by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the tempo via a punishing, stunning, looping percussion. Dense walls of sound, expertly mixed with a long-term partner, feel at once gnarly and spiritual, while her morbid, enchanted thoughts culminate in highlight "Lambs", which briefly becomes a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.

Chelsea Ortega
Chelsea Ortega

Award-winning film critic with over a decade of experience covering international cinema and festival circuits.