The Debut Record "Daughters" Delves Into Grief and Style

In this track "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a lodging near JFK airport, as the musician receives the heartbreaking update of her father's illness diagnosis. The Sunderland-born artist had been traveling America on her initial visit, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief casts a shadow, tinging all with melancholy. Faltering piano and hushed strings accompany gothic dispatches emanating from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Her gentle vocals are delivered in a deadpan manner, while the record's tension stems from her sharp writing—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and blunt personal notes—coupled with unexpected maximalism. Not many songs recently possess more potent storytelling style than "Shelly", which depicts the killing of a deer and descends into a petrol-laden reckoning, evoking written pieces lit with flickers of warped cello. Tense, subdued sections with resonating, plucked guitar move to grand choruses, and her voice digitally manipulated into a presence omniscient and menacing.

Listeners might previously be familiar with the artist as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member to bands like Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect this varied career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts in fanfare, as if an ensemble taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the BPM with a punishing, stunning, repeating percussion. Thick layers of audio, skillfully produced with a long-term partner, feel both gnarly and ethereal, while Walton's morbid, enchanted thoughts peak on highlight "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a swirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she bargains, exuding heart-aching dark comedy.