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In this track "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a lodging close to JFK airfield, as Jennifer Walton learns a heartbreaking update that her dad has cancer diagnosis. The Sunderland-born performer was traveling America on her initial visit, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly sadness takes over, coloring all in grey. Unsteady piano and soft orchestration accompany dark dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Walton's soft singing come across in a deadpan style, yet this album's intensity arises from her keen writing—blending stories, folksy sayings, and blunt personal notes—coupled with surprising maximalism. Few songs this year possess more potent storytelling style than "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of an animal and spirals into a petrol-laden confrontation, evoking written works lit by glimpses of warped strings. Anxious, quiet verses featuring resonating, strummed strings transition to expansive choruses, with Walton's voice digitally manipulated into a presence omniscient and menacing.

Audiences might already be familiar with the artist as a music creator, DJ, and contributor in groups like Caroline. The album's sonic turns draw on this varied career. The opener "Sometimes" erupts with flourish, like an ensemble caught by surprise, while "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the BPM with a punishing, beautiful, looping percussion. Thick walls of sound, skillfully produced with a longtime collaborator, feel both gnarly and spiritual, while Walton's morbid, enchanted thinking culminate on highlight "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a twirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she pleads, with heart-aching dark comedy.