The Debut Record "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Elegance

Within this track "Miss America", audiences find themselves inside a lodging near JFK airport, as the musician receives a heartbreaking update that her dad has cancer discovery. The Sunderland-born artist had been touring America on her initial visit, playing with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly sadness takes over, coloring everything in grey. Faltering piano and soft strings accompany gothic reports from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Walton's soft vocals are delivered in a flat style, while this album's tension stems from her sharp writing—blending stories, traditional phrases, and direct personal notes—coupled with surprising rich textures. Not many songs recently showcase more potent storytelling flair than "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of an animal and spirals into a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking written works lit with glimpses of distorted strings. Anxious, quiet verses with resonating, strummed guitar move to expansive refrains, and her vocals digitally manipulated into something omniscient and sinister.

Audiences may previously be familiar with the artist from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and contributor to bands like Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect this diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if a string band taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the tempo with a punishing, stunning, looping percussion. Dense layers of audio, skillfully mixed by a longtime partner, seem at once gnarly and spiritual, while Walton's morbid, magical thoughts culminate in highlight "Lambs", which momentarily becomes a twirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, with poignant dark comedy.