In the song "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a lodging near JFK airfield, as the musician receives the devastating update of her father's cancer discovery. This UK-raised artist had been touring the US for the first time, drumming alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief casts a shadow, coloring everything with melancholy. Faltering keys and hushed strings accompany gothic dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."
Her soft singing come across in a flat style, yet the record's tension stems from her keen writing—blending stories, traditional phrases, and direct personal notes—along with unexpected rich textures. Few songs recently possess more potent storytelling flair than "Shelly", which depicts the death of an animal and spirals toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking written works lit by glimpses of distorted strings. Anxious, quiet verses featuring echoing, strummed guitar transition into grand choruses, with her vocals digitally manipulated to become something omniscient and menacing.
Listeners might already be familiar with the artist as a music creator, disc jockey, and member in groups like Caroline. Daughters' musical twists reflect this varied career. The opener "Sometimes" erupts with flourish, like an ensemble caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM via a punishing, beautiful, repeating percussion. Dense walls of sound, skillfully mixed with a long-term partner, seem at once rough and ethereal, while Walton's morbid, enchanted thoughts culminate in highlight "Lambs", which momentarily transforms into a twirling dance. "May your life never end in death," Walton pleads, with heart-aching dark comedy.
Elara is a financial strategist with over a decade of experience in wealth management and entrepreneurship.
