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In this song "Miss America", listeners find themselves in a lodging near JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton learns a devastating update that her dad has cancer diagnosis. This Sunderland-born artist was traveling the US for the first time, playing alongside indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly grief casts a shadow, coloring everything in grey. Faltering piano and soft strings underscore dark dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Her gentle singing are delivered in a flat style, yet the record's intensity arises from the keen penmanship—mixing stories, folksy sayings, and direct diary entries—along with unexpected rich textures. Few tracks this year showcase more potent storytelling style than "Shelly", a piece that depicts the killing of a deer and spirals into a petrol-laden confrontation, evoking written pieces lit with flickers of distorted cello. Tense, quiet verses with echoing, strummed guitar move into grand choruses, and her voice digitally manipulated into a presence all-knowing and menacing.

Listeners may previously know the artist as an electronic producer, disc jockey, and member to bands such as Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns draw on this diverse background. The first track "Sometimes" bursts with fanfare, as if a string band caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the tempo with an intense, beautiful, repeating drum fill. Thick layers of audio, expertly mixed with a long-term collaborator, seem both gnarly and spiritual, while her morbid, magical thoughts culminate on standout "Lambs", a song that momentarily becomes a swirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," Walton bargains, with poignant dark comedy.