REVIEW: Ethel Cain confronts listeners with the grotesque on ‘Perverts’
Elijah Ritch | January 20On Jan. 8, alternative musician Ethel Cain released her newest project, “Perverts.” This marks her first release since her 2022 debut album “Preacher’s Daughter,” which garnered Cain critical acclaim and a devoted cult following. Ethel Cain, aka Hayden Anhedönia, is also a character and the protagonist of much of the artist’s discography. Her work encompasses a wide range of genres and styles, from Springsteen-esque heartland rock to haunting, epic ballads. Cain frequently explores themes like generational trauma, religious indoctrination — particularly growing up Queer in an evangelical Christian community — and sexual violence. After the release of her debut album, Cain “wrote on Tumblr about the ‘irony epidemic’ that had turned her dead-serious lyrics about sex, death and the divine into meme fodder,” according to Stereogum.
