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In the song "Miss America", audiences are placed inside a hotel room close to JFK airport, as the musician receives the heartbreaking update of her father's cancer discovery. The Sunderland-born performer was touring the US for the first time, playing with group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly sadness takes over, tinging all in grey. Faltering piano and soft orchestration underscore dark dispatches emanating from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Walton's gentle singing are delivered with a flat manner, yet the record's intensity stems from her sharp writing—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—along with surprising rich textures. Few tracks this year possess more potent storytelling style than "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of an animal and spirals toward a petrol-laden confrontation, reminiscent of literary pieces illuminated with glimpses of warped strings. Anxious, subdued verses featuring echoing, plucked strings move into expansive refrains, and her vocals electronically altered into a presence all-knowing and sinister.

Listeners may previously be familiar with the artist from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and contributor to bands like Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect her diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" erupts with flourish, like a string band taken unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo with an intense, stunning, looping percussion. Thick walls of sound, skillfully mixed with a long-term collaborator, feel both gnarly and ethereal, and Walton's dark, magical thoughts peak on highlight "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a twirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton bargains, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.