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Within the track "Miss America", audiences find themselves inside a hotel room near JFK airfield, where the musician receives the devastating news of her father's illness discovery. This UK-raised performer had been touring America on her initial visit, drumming alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly sadness casts a shadow, coloring everything with melancholy. Unsteady piano and soft orchestration accompany gothic reports emanating from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Walton's soft singing come across in a flat style, while the record's tension stems from her keen writing—mixing stories, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—coupled with unexpected rich textures. Few tracks this year showcase more potent storytelling style compared to "Shelly", which describes the death of a deer and spirals into a petrol-laden reckoning, evoking literary works illuminated with flickers of warped cello. Anxious, subdued sections with resonating, plucked guitar move to grand refrains, and Walton's voice digitally manipulated into something omniscient and menacing.

Audiences may previously know the artist as an electronic producer, DJ, and member in groups such as Caroline. The album's sonic turns draw on this diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" bursts with flourish, like a string band taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo via a punishing, stunning, looping drum fill. Dense layers of audio, expertly mixed with a longtime collaborator, feel both rough and spiritual, while her dark, magical thinking culminate on highlight "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, exuding poignant dark comedy.