The Debut Album "Daughters" Explores Grief and Elegance

In the track "Miss America", audiences are placed in a hotel room close to JFK airport, where the musician receives a devastating update of her father's illness discovery. This UK-raised performer was touring the US on her initial visit, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly sadness casts a shadow, tinging all with melancholy. Unsteady piano and hushed orchestration accompany gothic dispatches from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Walton's soft vocals are delivered with a deadpan style, while the album's intensity stems from her sharp writing—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt personal notes—coupled with surprising rich textures. Few songs this year showcase stronger storytelling style compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of a deer and descends into a fuel-soaked reckoning, evoking literary works lit by glimpses of distorted strings. Tense, quiet verses featuring echoing, plucked guitar transition to grand refrains, with Walton's vocals digitally manipulated to become something all-knowing and sinister.

Audiences might already be familiar with the artist as an electronic producer, DJ, and member to bands such as Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect her diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts in fanfare, like a string band caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the BPM via an intense, beautiful, looping drum fill. Dense walls of sound, expertly mixed with a long-term partner, feel at once gnarly and spiritual, while Walton's dark, enchanted thinking peak in highlight "Lambs", which briefly becomes a twirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she bargains, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.