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Within this track "Miss America", audiences find themselves inside a hotel room near JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton receives a heartbreaking news of her father's cancer discovery. This Sunderland-born artist was touring America on her initial visit, drumming alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly sadness takes over, coloring everything with melancholy. Unsteady keys and hushed orchestration underscore gothic dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Her soft vocals come across with a flat style, yet this album's tension stems from her keen writing—mixing fiction, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—along with unexpected maximalism. Few tracks this year showcase stronger storytelling style compared to "Shelly", which depicts the death of an animal and descends toward a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of literary pieces lit by flickers of warped cello. Anxious, quiet sections with echoing, strummed strings transition into expansive refrains, with her voice electronically altered to become something omniscient and menacing.

Listeners might previously be familiar with the artist from her work as a music creator, disc jockey, and member in groups like Caroline. The album's musical twists draw on this diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" erupts with fanfare, as if a string band taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM via an intense, stunning, repeating drum fill. Thick walls of sound, skillfully produced with a long-term collaborator, seem at once gnarly and spiritual, while her dark, magical thoughts peak in highlight "Lambs", which momentarily becomes a swirling jig. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she bargains, with heart-aching dark comedy.