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Within this song "Miss America", listeners find themselves in a lodging near JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton receives a devastating news that her dad has cancer discovery. This Sunderland-born performer was touring the US on her initial visit, playing with group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief casts a shadow, coloring everything with melancholy. Unsteady keys and soft strings accompany gothic dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Walton's gentle singing come across in a deadpan manner, yet the album's intensity arises from the sharp penmanship—mixing fiction, traditional phrases, and blunt diary entries—along with unexpected rich textures. Few tracks this year possess more potent storytelling flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of a deer and descends into a fuel-soaked reckoning, evoking literary works lit with flickers of distorted cello. Anxious, subdued verses featuring echoing, plucked strings transition into grand refrains, and her voice digitally manipulated to become a presence omniscient and sinister.

Listeners might previously know Walton from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and contributor to bands like Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect this diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts with fanfare, like a string band caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the BPM via a punishing, beautiful, repeating drum fill. Thick layers of audio, skillfully produced with a longtime partner, feel at once rough and ethereal, and Walton's dark, magical thinking culminate on highlight "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a swirling dance. "May your life never end in death," Walton bargains, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.