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In this song "Miss America", listeners find themselves in a hotel room close to JFK airfield, where the musician receives the heartbreaking news that her dad has illness diagnosis. This UK-raised artist had been touring America for the first time, drumming alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly sadness takes over, coloring all with melancholy. Unsteady keys and hushed orchestration accompany dark reports from the road: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Her soft singing are delivered in a flat manner, while this album's intensity stems from her sharp penmanship—blending stories, traditional phrases, and direct diary entries—coupled with surprising maximalism. Few songs this year showcase stronger novelistic style compared to "Shelly", which describes the death of an animal and spirals toward a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of written works illuminated by flickers of warped cello. Anxious, subdued sections featuring resonating, strummed strings move to expansive choruses, with her vocals digitally manipulated to become something omniscient and sinister.

Audiences might previously be familiar with the artist from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and contributor to bands such as Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns draw on her diverse background. The opener "Sometimes" bursts with flourish, like a string band caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically increases the BPM via an intense, stunning, looping drum fill. Thick walls of sound, skillfully mixed by a longtime partner, seem both gnarly and spiritual, and her morbid, magical thinking culminate in standout "Lambs", which momentarily transforms into a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, with poignant dark comedy.