🔗 Share this article

In this song "Miss America", listeners are placed in a hotel room close to JFK airport, as Jennifer Walton learns the heartbreaking update of her father's illness discovery. The Sunderland-born artist had been touring the US on her initial visit, drumming with indie band Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly sadness takes over, coloring everything with melancholy. Unsteady piano and soft orchestration accompany dark dispatches emanating from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Walton's soft vocals are delivered with a flat manner, yet this album's intensity arises from the keen writing—blending fiction, traditional phrases, and blunt personal notes—coupled with unexpected rich textures. Few tracks recently showcase more potent storytelling flair compared to "Shelly", which depicts the death of an animal and spirals into a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of literary works illuminated by glimpses of warped strings. Tense, subdued verses with echoing, plucked strings transition to expansive refrains, with her voice digitally manipulated to become a presence omniscient and sinister.

Listeners may already know the artist as a music creator, DJ, and member in groups such as Caroline. The album's musical twists draw on this varied career. The opener "Sometimes" bursts with flourish, like a string band caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the BPM via an intense, beautiful, repeating percussion. Dense layers of audio, skillfully produced with a longtime partner, feel both gnarly and spiritual, while her dark, enchanted thoughts culminate on standout "Lambs", which momentarily becomes a twirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she pleads, with poignant dark comedy.