🔗 Share this article

Within this track "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a hotel room near JFK airfield, where Jennifer Walton receives the heartbreaking update of her father's illness diagnosis. This UK-raised artist had been traveling America for the first time, playing with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief casts a shadow, coloring everything in grey. Unsteady keys and soft strings underscore dark dispatches from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Her soft singing come across in a flat manner, while the album's tension stems from her sharp writing—blending fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—along with unexpected maximalism. Few tracks this year showcase stronger storytelling flair than "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of a deer and descends into a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of literary pieces lit with flickers of warped strings. Tense, quiet sections with echoing, strummed strings move into expansive choruses, with her vocals electronically altered to become something all-knowing and sinister.

Audiences might previously be familiar with the artist as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and contributor to bands such as Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns draw on her diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts in flourish, like an ensemble caught by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the BPM via an intense, stunning, looping percussion. Thick walls of sound, skillfully mixed with a longtime partner, feel both rough and spiritual, while Walton's morbid, magical thoughts culminate in standout "Lambs", a song that momentarily becomes a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, with poignant gallows humor.