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In this track "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a lodging near JFK airport, where the musician receives the devastating news that her dad has illness discovery. This UK-raised artist had been traveling America on her initial visit, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief casts a shadow, tinging everything in grey. Faltering piano and hushed strings accompany gothic dispatches emanating from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Walton's gentle vocals come across with a flat manner, while the album's tension stems from the keen writing—mixing stories, folksy sayings, and blunt personal notes—along with unexpected rich textures. Few songs this year possess more potent storytelling flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of an animal and descends into a fuel-soaked reckoning, evoking literary works lit by glimpses of warped cello. Tense, subdued sections with echoing, plucked guitar transition to grand choruses, with her voice electronically altered into a presence all-knowing and menacing.

Listeners may already know Walton from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and contributor in groups like Caroline. The album's sonic turns draw on her varied career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with flourish, like an ensemble taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM via an intense, beautiful, looping percussion. Thick layers of audio, skillfully mixed by a longtime partner, feel at once gnarly and spiritual, while Walton's morbid, enchanted thoughts culminate on highlight "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a twirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton bargains, with heart-aching dark comedy.