Perverts by Ethel Cain Album Review
In honor of a new Ethel Cain album on the horizon, here is my review on her recent album Perverts.
Perverts is an album created by Hayden Silas Anhedonia, better known publicly as Ethel Cain. Her previous album, Preacher’s Daughter was beloved by fans of indie pop, singer-songwriters, and concept albums due to the way it demonstrated Hayden’s incredible storytelling ability. Hayden’s ability to tell a story transcends lyrical storytelling and also emerges through her choices of sounds and instrumentation. As someone who avidly enjoyed her record Preacher’s Daughter as well as some of her more ambient works, I was itching with excitement to see what she would create next.
Many fans were anticipating a sort of follow up to Preacher’s Daughter due to not only the success of the record, but because Hayden said Preacher’s Daughter was not the end of the Ethel Cain storyline. However, Hayden also made clear that her new record Perverts was going to deviate from the story of Preacher’s Daughter entirely. The album was inspired by Hayden’s love of ambient shoegaze and atmospheric music and was a huge genre switch and stylistic deviation from Preacher’s Daughter. Bands and artists beloved by Hayden such as Wulven, Grouper, Orchid Mantis, and Midwife paved the way for her to be inspired to create an official ambient project of her own. Even within Preacher’s Daughter though, you can see Hayden’s love for atmospheric ambient work appear in tracks such as “August Underground” and “Televangelism.” I cannot get enough of these tracks, so I found myself very excited when I heard about Hayden’s upcoming project.
Pervert's title track begins with eerie singing sounding like it was overheard by someone outside of a Church. The track then descends into silence, then a drone type hum floods over. Hayden expressed online that she created nearly all the sounds within this project. I admired her ability to layer droning type sounds with distant sounding vocals relaying creepy lyrics. I especially love the moment in the song where all the drones and ambient sounds cease and you just hear Hayden say clearly, “It’s happening to everybody,” I think this pause in the instrumentation really emphasizes this lyric while also providing the listener with a clear thesis of the record. While this track might be my least favorite on the record, it is only because it is sat beside even more incredible tracks.
The following track, “Punish”, was released as the single for this record. While this song follows a more traditional song format, it still encapsulates all of the atmospheric sounds of the record. I love how Hayden’s vocals stand out on this track. She constructed some very intriguing lyrics on this track such as “nature chews on me” alluding to this idea of nature wearing her down. This track also references this idea of being punished by love. Desiring love, yet being rejected from love. The line “I was an angel, but they made me leave” stuck out to me a lot upon first listen. The idea of an angel being barred from heaven even though they love God is an interesting topic that I think can resonate with others who have felt isolated by religion despite loving it all the same. These strong lyrics paired with the ambient shoegaze-like instrumentation make the song a real stand out moment on the record and is probably the song that is most similar to something that could have been on Preacher’s Daughter.
“Houseofpsychoticwomn” however takes a different turn, jumping back into the more ambient sounding songs on this record. The phrase, “I love you” repeats over and over many times throughout the song paired with atmospheric sounds that make me feel as though I am floating through a night sky. Some of these sounds are reminiscent of a fan hum or the hum of electrical wires of sorts. There is also a low buzzing which can sound somewhat like insects or perhaps an air conditioner. I enjoyed this track a lot because I think it encapsulates this notion of love making you feel as though you are going mad. I think Hayden is able to achieve this by her use of instrumentation paired with how she utilizes her vocals and lyrics on this track.
“Vacillator”, the following track, is more ballad-like similar to “Punish.” Something I really enjoyed about this track was all the vocal harmonies Hayden utilizes. The lyrics point to this depressing idea of an inescapable love. The instrumentation is seemingly more simplistic than previous tracks, but I enjoy the airy spare Hayden creates within her use of sounds. One lyric that really stands out on this track is the final one which says “if you love me, keep it to yourself” which I think provides a summary of what the track is trying to convey about this particular love.
“Onanist” goes back to a more ambient sounding track and incorporates piano along with ethereal surrounding sounds. I find this song easy to get lost in as its repetitive nature of the piano ballad can make me feel as though I am floating away. Hayden does come in to add some eerie vocals that feel as though they are being sucked away by the instrumentation. Something I adore about this track as well as many of the other tracks on this record is how Hayden utilizes her voice as almost another instrument. Within this track, her vocals help elevate the sonic buildup which I think makes this track so fascinating. Her vocals also help create a satisfying crescendo to this buildup which I believe makes for an effective track.
“Pulldrone” provides the listener with a disturbing spoken word peace alongside eerie drones. The spoken word within this section of the album deserves its an analysis and review in itself, but many of the spoken word within this track are reminiscent of a youtube video made by Hayden a while back describing this idea of “the pull” and “the ring” and “the great dark.” I think this track expands on a lot of these topics and ideas as does the rest of this record. The drones and instrumentation within this track help instill this sort of uneasiness within the listener.
“Etienne”, one of my favorite tracks within the record, is an ambient track consisting of a mixture of guitar, piano, and ethereal sounds that remind me of walking through a forest on a foggy night or early morning. Something I admire about this track is the way it is able to make me feel a sense of calmness with its somewhat repetitive nature. The track concludes with a sample from a sermon, whose exact words are barely distinguishable. But the content of this excerpt tells the story of someone who wanted to die so he tried to induce a heart attack. He kept running as hard as he could, but he didn’t die and actually just ended up feeling so great from exercising that he didn’t want to kill himself anymore. I thought that was an interesting sample to end this specific track with because it almost provides the listener with a bit of hope amid this extremely dreary album.
“Thatorichia” is another highlight on this record for me. The soundscape Hayden creates on this track is dark and can make the listener feel as though an evilness is looming over them. Hayden also utilizes her vocals as an instrument within this track, providing some eerie harmonizing that pairs well with the ambient soundscape she creates. There is so much texture within this track that it almost feels as though the energy it creates can be touched.
“Amber Waves”, the closing track, provides the listener with more of Hayden’s vocals, but this time in a clearer, more crisp way. You can see elements of Preacher’s Daughter peak out within this track which contrasts the rest of the record nicely. The lyrical content of this song expresses the idea of someone leaving and trying to cope with it. Lyrics that stand out to me are, “Cause the devil I know is the devil I want,” alluding to this idea that even though you know someone is bad, you know all of their bad qualities and still desire this person anyway. The track concludes with the line, “I can't feel anything,” which is a truly tragic way to end this project.
I absolutely loved this record. I loved how Hayden did not feel the need to create another record sounding super similar to Preacher’s Daughter but instead decided to go in a totally different direction. Hayden’s ability to convey stories and emotions through sounds and lyrics attest to how much of a phenomenal artist she is. Perverts is a phenomenal record. Hayden in my opinion is one of the most real and interesting artists of our generation. I cannot wait to see the art she creates next. She has recently teased a new album and tour coming in August, which is exciting.
Works Cited
Ethel Cain. Preacher’s Daughter, Daughters of Cain Records, 12 May 2022
Ethel Cain. Perverts, Daughters of Cain Records, 8 January 2025.