Ethel Cain found unlikely pop fandom with “Preacher’s Daughter“, her 2022 debut album, thanks to its emotional dirges and heavy lyrics. Instead of turning toward catchier choruses, Cain subverts expectations entirely with her atmosphere and moody new album, “Perverts“. Written, recorded, and produced entirely by Cain and led by “Punish,” “Perverts” consists of sprawling drone songs, languid ambient music, and soft-spoken—if spoken at all—slowcore tracks that stay intentionally shrouded. For the immersive experience, consider listening at night.
It would be natural to view “Perverts2, the daring follow-up to Ethel Cain’s 2022 breakout “Preacher’s Daughter”, as a response to, and rejection of, everything about success that might register as noise, not least because it was accompanied by a Tumblr post entitled ‘The Consequence of Audience’. “Preacher’s Daughter” amassed a fervent following, and “Perverts” no doubt poses a challenge to the segment of Cain’s audience that has trouble engaging with the artist’s persona in the absence of unambiguous lore and soaring melodies. Yet the 90-minute project – promotional materials variously refer to it as a “body of work” or even an “EP,” so yes, technically not an album – does not feel like a departure so much as an opportunity for Hayden Anhedönia to home in on the esoteric darkness she holds a deep reverence for, the eerie dissonance and muffled silences that were seen tangential rather than core to her song writing.
Ethel Cain started the year by releasing the mostly ambient/noise/drone “Perverts”, and she’s now announced another follow up album! “Willoughby Tucker, I Will Always Love You”, which she’s calling her sophomore album, is due out in August, and a press release describes it as a prequel to “Preacher’s Daughter”. .
Ethel has also announced a tour for the album, beginning with a North American run in August and September, and followed by shows in Europe and the UK in October and November. She’ll be joined by Toronto shoegazers 9million for the shows, featuring her collaborator Matthew Tomasi, and she calls them “the greatest band to ever do it.”
The Fat Angel Sings 