The First Record "Daughters" Explores Grief and Style

Within this track "Miss America", listeners are placed inside a hotel room close to JFK airport, as the musician learns the heartbreaking update of her father's illness diagnosis. This UK-raised performer had been traveling the US on her initial visit, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly sadness casts a shadow, tinging everything with melancholy. Faltering piano and soft orchestration accompany dark reports from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Walton's gentle singing come across in a flat style, yet the record's intensity stems from her sharp penmanship—blending stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—along with surprising rich textures. Few tracks this year possess stronger storytelling flair than "Shelly", which depicts the death of a deer and spirals into a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking literary pieces illuminated by glimpses of distorted cello. Tense, subdued sections featuring resonating, plucked guitar transition to expansive choruses, with her voice digitally manipulated into something all-knowing and menacing.

Listeners might already be familiar with the artist as an electronic producer, DJ, and member in groups like Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns reflect this diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" erupts with fanfare, like an ensemble caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo with an intense, stunning, looping percussion. Thick layers of audio, skillfully mixed with a longtime collaborator, feel at once rough and ethereal, while Walton's morbid, enchanted thoughts culminate on standout "Lambs", which momentarily becomes a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," Walton pleads, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.