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In this song "Miss America", listeners are placed in a hotel room near JFK airport, as the musician receives a devastating update that her dad has cancer discovery. The Sunderland-born artist had been traveling the US on her initial visit, playing with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly grief casts a shadow, coloring everything with melancholy. Faltering keys and hushed strings underscore dark reports emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Her soft singing are delivered in a deadpan style, yet this album's tension arises from the sharp penmanship—blending fiction, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—along with surprising maximalism. Few tracks recently showcase stronger novelistic flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of an animal and spirals into a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking written works illuminated with glimpses of distorted strings. Tense, subdued sections featuring echoing, plucked strings transition into expansive refrains, with Walton's vocals digitally manipulated to become a presence omniscient and sinister.

Listeners might previously be familiar with the artist from her work as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member to bands like Caroline. The album's sonic turns reflect her diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" bursts in flourish, like an ensemble caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the BPM via a punishing, beautiful, repeating drum fill. Dense layers of audio, skillfully produced with a longtime collaborator, feel at once rough and ethereal, and her dark, enchanted thoughts peak on highlight "Lambs", which briefly becomes a twirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, exuding heart-aching gallows humor.