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Within this track "Miss America", audiences find themselves inside a hotel room near JFK airfield, where Jennifer Walton receives the devastating update of her father's illness diagnosis. The UK-raised artist was traveling the US for the first time, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly sadness casts a shadow, tinging everything in grey. Faltering piano and soft orchestration accompany dark reports from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Walton's gentle vocals come across with a deadpan style, yet the record's intensity arises from her keen writing—mixing fiction, traditional phrases, and blunt personal notes—along with surprising rich textures. Few songs recently showcase more potent storytelling flair compared to "Shelly", a piece that depicts the death of an animal and descends toward a fuel-soaked reckoning, evoking written pieces lit by glimpses of distorted cello. Anxious, subdued sections featuring echoing, strummed guitar move into expansive choruses, and her vocals electronically altered to become something all-knowing and menacing.

Listeners might previously know the artist as a music creator, DJ, and member to bands like Caroline. The album's musical twists draw on her diverse career. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, like an ensemble caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the BPM with a punishing, beautiful, looping percussion. Dense walls of sound, skillfully produced by a long-term collaborator, feel both gnarly and spiritual, while Walton's morbid, magical thinking culminate on highlight "Lambs", a song that momentarily becomes a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," Walton bargains, with heart-aching dark comedy.