Table of Content
Info
Artist: Ethel Cain
Album: Perverts
Released: January 8, 2025
Producer: Ethel Cain
Writers: Ethel Cain
Label: Daughters of Cain Records
Genre: Country, Pop, Alternative Pop, Rock, Jazz, Pink Noise, Lo-Fi, Drone, Ambient, Dark Ambient, Folk, Slowcore
About Perverts
Perverts is the second album by Hayden Silas Anhedönia, known artistically as Ethel Cain, released on January 8, 2025. The album, spanning 90 minutes with 9 tracks, combines extended ambient pieces with text-focused songs. It opens with its title track, a 12-minute ambient composition that establishes a dreamy and mysterious atmosphere. Although lengthy, listeners who endure it are greeted by the second track, “Punish,” which feels more familiar to Cain’s fans. The album was entirely produced by Hayden herself.
The tracklist, along with each song’s duration, was fully unveiled on November 11, 2024.
This album is built on a personal philosophy and has a unique conceptual core. However, unlike Preacher’s Daughter, it lacks characters or narrative storytelling.
Preacher’s Daughter, released in 2022, was a dark, expansive Americana record that garnered a wide audience. However, part of this audience quickly frustrated Anhedönia. She took to Tumblr to complain about the “epidemic of humor,” where her serious, deep lyrics about topics such as sex, death, and divinity were turned into memes and internet jokes. Additionally, inappropriate behavior from some fans—a phenomenon that seems to plague nearly every artist with a young fanbase—forced her to issue a public statement, asking fans to behave better at her concerts.
As the promotional cycle for Preacher’s Daughter came to an end, Anhedönia realized her music was being overshadowed by noise surrounding her unpleasant interactions with fans. Every move she made afterward was interpreted as a response to these circumstances, which placed immense pressure on her and influenced her next steps.
This album includes three lengthy ambient tracks, two of which are among the first three songs. In Perverts, Anhedönia approaches a minimalist and slowcore aesthetic, reminiscent of artists like Codeine and Duster. Previous comparisons to Lana Del Rey, often mentioned in discussions of Preacher’s Daughter, no longer apply here.
Ethel Cain explores heavy and dark themes such as punishment, shame, and toxic relationships in this album. She invites her listeners on a difficult, profound journey that may feel unsettling and unfamiliar to some.
The album is accompanied by a short text titled The Consequence of Audience, written by Hayden Anhedönia. Presented in a metaphorical style akin to biblical prophecies, the text narrates Anhedönia’s journey through an endless forest. She reaches an open space called “The Great Dark,” where she is no longer alone but feels ashamed of her exposed, clenched fists. Eventually, a domed temple appears on the horizon, and she moves toward it, realizing that her observers cannot enter the temple. This temple symbolizes either divinity or self-awareness. Anhedönia reveals that this is not her first journey; she has entered the temple before, only to be cast out and forced to repeat the humiliating ritual. The text also touches on the challenges artists face with audiences and fame, warning that cautionary tales often prove futile.
Tracklist
| Track # | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perverts | 12:04 |
| 2 | Punish | 6:40 |
| 3 | Housofpsychoticwomn | 13:35 |
| 4 | Vacillator | 7:44 |
| 5 | Onanist | 6:24 |
| 6 | Pulldrone | 15:14 |
| 7 | Etienne | 8:43 |
| 8 | Thatorchia | 7:24 |
| 9 | Amber Waves | 11:32 |
Meaning Behind the Lyrics (Track-by-Track)
Perverts
A haunting and satirical take on faith, morality, and existential despair, contrasting sacred devotion with stark, provocative imagery.
Punish
A poignant exploration of shame, self-destruction, and longing, “Punished by Love” delves into the burdens of unworthy love and spiritual rejection.
Housofpsychoticwomn
A raw meditation on love’s beauty, pain, and elusiveness, this piece explores longing, disillusionment, and the transformative power of being truly loved.
Vacillator
A seductive yet guarded reflection on intimacy, this song balances vulnerability with control, craving passion while rejecting emotional entanglement.
Onanist
A yearning for redemption and love, this song juxtaposes existential struggle with the fleeting, euphoric moments of connection and grace.
Pulldrone
A harrowing journey through existential collapse, this piece navigates self-destruction, divine yearning, and nihilistic cycles, culminating in utter annihilation.
Amber Waves
“Amber Waves” reflects emotional detachment, resignation, and self-soothing through familiar struggles, navigating emptiness and the weight of loss.