Spanning 11 tracks in length, the sophomore release from Sarah Walk, Another Me (One Little Independent), grabs hold from its first declaration: "Nothing has hurt me more than men that grew up with no consequences." From there, Walk asks and answers—always pointedly—about all manner of attitudes and actions, of herself and others.

In this way, it's clear that Walk is a younger artist, a blossoming songwriter learning to process her world in meaningful ways by turning stories and situations over, to examine their substance, to feel their weight. Yet that inexperience is wrapped in mesmerizing, expressive pop constructs that linger with the listener.

"What Do I Want" is fraught with the tensions of young adulthood as Walk asks, "Will you tell me what do I want?" The questions reach their zenith on "The Outside," a piano ballad that builds as it reflects on the fact that Walk is "on the outside." Early on she documents her descent, "How did I get here? / Where did I go? / No where to turn to / Losing control."

Walk's discernment of love lost is particularly resonant on "Crazy Still" when she sings, 'Because part of my understands it / And part of me feels abandoned." Therein lies the tension felt by so many of us in retrospect—part head, part heart—as she then admits, "I was crazy to love you / I must be crazy still."

The beauty of self-discovery unfolds on the album's title track when Walk claims, "Another me is waiting / And I won’t let her die." Such insights are inspired, held hands with the listener that allows company for the audience's own journey forward toward health and wholeness.

The highlights here are aplenty. From the entrancing single "Nobody Knows" to the stirring opener "Unravel," Another Me holds the listener's attention from beginning to end. However, it's the album's closing track, "No Good Way To Say Goodbye" that proves Walk to be a master of her craft. The song begins:

For so long I’ve wanted more
For so long I’ve watched the seasons
As they come and as they go
But it seems I’m always healing

Once you're wrapped in the song's deliberate pacing, Walk admits the primary lesson learned is found in the song's title. Then comes the next verse:

Maybe I’m just changing slow
But the dreams I had are leaving
How was I suppose to know?
Now there’s not much to believe in

Somehow Walk suddenly sounds decades older at the climax of an album wrestling with questions and concerns throughout. This personal processing we've been allowed to access has given way to blooms of wisdom breaking through. The songs's haunting build and repeated refrain only enhance the musings within.

It's this final track, arriving on the back of Walk's investigative turns, that impresses most for what it signifies. Another Me is a beautiful album that warrants celebration on its own. More than that, however, it's a signpost of a meaningful artist already doing the hard work required. Seeds sown for future flowers.

Sarah Walk's Another Me is already one of the year's best albums, but it's also clear her finest work is yet to come.