The First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Style

In the song "Miss America", listeners are placed inside a lodging close to JFK airport, where the musician receives a heartbreaking update that her dad has cancer diagnosis. This Sunderland-born artist had been touring the US for the first time, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly sadness takes over, coloring all with melancholy. Faltering keys and soft orchestration accompany gothic reports emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Her gentle vocals come across in a deadpan manner, yet this album's tension stems from her sharp writing—mixing stories, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—along with surprising maximalism. Not many songs recently possess stronger novelistic style than "Shelly", which depicts the death of a deer and spirals toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, reminiscent of written pieces illuminated with glimpses of distorted strings. Anxious, subdued sections with resonating, plucked strings move to expansive choruses, and Walton's vocals digitally manipulated to become something all-knowing and sinister.

Audiences may previously know the artist from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, 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 an ensemble taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the tempo via a punishing, beautiful, looping drum fill. Dense walls of sound, expertly produced with a longtime partner, seem both rough and spiritual, while her dark, magical thinking culminate on standout "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, exuding poignant dark comedy.

Kenneth Bell
Kenneth Bell

A tech strategist and writer passionate about digital transformation and emerging technologies.