Hayden Silas Anhedönia, better known by the stage moniker Ethel Cain, is not one to shy away from difficult subject matter in her music. In 2022 Ethel Cain released her debut album Preacher’s Daughter. The record was independently released and gained her a strong, almost cult-like fanbase (some fans are known to refer to her as Mother Cain), resulting in millions of followers on Instagram. The record’s themes explored, but weren’t limited to, family trauma, religion, the American dream, cultist Christianity and toxic relationships.
Just this last year she played Hinterland after Chappell Roan. Cain’s set was a stark contrast to Roan’s set. Her emotional rollercoaster of southern gothic that is “A House In Nebraska” was a very different set from the “Pink Pony Club” master. And yet, personally, it was one of my favorite sets of the weekend. Cain has an uncanny way of painting a picture in her listeners’ minds. For me, her music conjures imagery that would align perfectly with the works of William Faulkner, the films Deliverance and The Night of the Hunter, and even the video game Resident Evil VII.
Perverts is Cain’s brand new sophomore release. The album is a departure from her first album and is a journey. It’s a long, often difficult album, and is likely to push Ethel Cain’s more casual fans into musical territory that they will find both shocking and unfamiliar. The record starts with the title track, which is a 12-minute-long ambient slice of experimental music. While it’s long, if you make it through the full song you’ll be rewarded with track two – “Punish,” which will feel more familiar to Cain fans. “Punish” is the sole single from the record, and is reminiscent of certain tracks from Preacher’s Daughter. It’s a slow burn of a song, with lyrics hinting at a relationship fueled by punishment and shame. When the droning guitars hit halfway through it’s almost impossible not to feel a sense of melancholy.
In short time, it becomes clear that the record is designed as a pattern of long ambient track followed by a more lyric-focused song. There’s clearly an artistry at play here, and for fans of thoughtful album design, there’s plenty to consider with this approach. Personally, I found "Amber Waves," which is one of the more lyric-focused tracks, to be one of the album's highlights. It’s also the album closer, and though it’s a long song it doesn’t feel that way. Cain has designed it to be dynamic, and there are a lot of different sonic offerings happening throughout.
Overall, Perverts is an experimental album. This record falls more in line with the ambient works of Aphex Twin and the slowcore work of Low than it does with Cain’s earlier releases.
As I consider the album as a whole, my major takeaway is that Ethel Cain wanted to make art with this release. And to that end, she succeeded. In a time when musicians skyrocket to success and find themselves with a new fanbase — which in today’s world offers tremendous career benefits but related pigeonholing or restrictions to their artistry — finding space for experimenting with their art can be overbearing and overwhelming. I can easily say that Cain has asked her fans to go on a disturbing, difficult journey with this record. It’s on you to decide if you’re going on the journey or will be left behind on this one. For me, it was like watching a film by Ingmar Bergman. Slow and methodical, but I was still thinking about it long after listening.
