The Debut Record "Daughters" Explores Sorrow and Elegance

In the track "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a lodging close to JFK airport, as the musician learns a heartbreaking news of her father's illness diagnosis. The Sunderland-born artist was traveling America on her initial visit, drumming alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly grief takes over, coloring everything in grey. Unsteady piano and hushed strings underscore dark reports emanating from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Her soft singing come across with a flat manner, while this record's tension arises from her keen writing—blending stories, traditional phrases, and blunt diary entries—coupled with unexpected rich textures. Not many tracks this year possess stronger storytelling style compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of a deer and spirals into a petrol-laden confrontation, evoking literary pieces lit with glimpses of warped cello. Anxious, quiet verses with echoing, plucked strings move into expansive choruses, with her voice electronically altered into something all-knowing and menacing.

Audiences might previously be familiar with the artist as a music creator, disc jockey, and contributor to bands like Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns draw on her varied background. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, like a string band caught unawares, while "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the BPM with an intense, beautiful, repeating drum fill. Dense layers of audio, expertly produced with a longtime partner, feel both rough and spiritual, while her morbid, enchanted thinking peak in standout "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a twirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, with poignant dark comedy.

Karen Caldwell
Karen Caldwell

Renewable energy consultant and green tech writer with over a decade of experience in sustainable development projects across Europe.