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Within this song "Miss America", listeners find themselves in a lodging near JFK airport, as the musician learns the devastating update of her father's illness diagnosis. The UK-raised performer had been traveling the US for the first time, drumming alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly grief takes over, tinging everything in grey. Unsteady piano and soft strings accompany dark reports emanating from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Strip-mall, drug deal, panic attacks."

Walton's soft singing are delivered with a deadpan manner, while this record's tension arises from the keen penmanship—blending fiction, traditional phrases, and direct personal notes—coupled with unexpected rich textures. Few songs recently showcase more potent novelistic flair compared to "Shelly", which describes the death of a deer and spirals into a petrol-laden reckoning, reminiscent of written works lit with glimpses of warped strings. Tense, subdued sections with resonating, strummed strings transition into expansive refrains, with Walton's vocals electronically altered to become something all-knowing and menacing.

Listeners might previously know the artist from her work as a music creator, DJ, and contributor in groups like Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns reflect this diverse career. The opener "Sometimes" erupts with flourish, as if an ensemble taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the BPM with an intense, stunning, repeating percussion. Thick layers of audio, expertly mixed by a longtime partner, feel at once gnarly and spiritual, while her morbid, magical thoughts culminate on highlight "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a swirling dance. "I hope your existence doesn't conclude with dying," she bargains, exuding poignant gallows humor.