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In the song "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a lodging near JFK airfield, as the musician receives a heartbreaking news of her father's cancer diagnosis. This UK-raised artist was traveling America for the first time, drumming with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, and abruptly grief casts a shadow, tinging everything with melancholy. Faltering piano and soft strings accompany dark dispatches from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Walton's gentle vocals come across in a deadpan style, while this record's tension stems from the sharp writing—blending fiction, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—coupled with surprising rich textures. Few songs this year showcase more potent novelistic flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that describes the killing of an animal and descends toward a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking written pieces illuminated with glimpses of warped cello. Tense, quiet sections with echoing, strummed strings move into grand refrains, with her vocals electronically altered to become something omniscient and menacing.

Audiences may already be familiar with Walton as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. The album's sonic turns draw on her diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in fanfare, like a string band taken unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the tempo via a punishing, beautiful, looping percussion. Thick walls of sound, expertly produced by a longtime partner, seem at once gnarly and ethereal, and her morbid, magical thoughts peak in highlight "Lambs", a song that briefly transforms into a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," Walton bargains, exuding poignant dark comedy.