In this song "Miss America", listeners are placed inside a lodging close to JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton learns the heartbreaking update of her father's cancer discovery. The Sunderland-born performer was traveling the US on her initial visit, playing with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief takes over, tinging all with melancholy. Faltering piano and hushed strings accompany dark dispatches emanating from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft singing come across in a deadpan manner, while this album's intensity arises from her sharp writing—blending fiction, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—along with surprising maximalism. Few songs recently possess stronger storytelling flair than "Shelly", a piece that describes the death of a deer and descends toward a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of written pieces lit with flickers of distorted strings. Anxious, subdued verses featuring resonating, plucked strings transition to expansive choruses, with Walton's voice digitally manipulated to become something omniscient and sinister.
Listeners might previously be familiar with Walton as an electronic producer, DJ, and member in groups such as Caroline. Daughters' musical twists draw on her diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, as if an ensemble caught by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the BPM via a punishing, beautiful, repeating percussion. Thick layers of audio, expertly mixed with a long-term partner, feel at once rough and spiritual, and Walton's morbid, enchanted thinking peak on highlight "Lambs", which briefly becomes a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," Walton pleads, with poignant dark comedy.
Film critic and industry analyst with a passion for uncovering cinematic trends and storytelling techniques.
