Just a week into 2025, has released a unique and challenging
鈥淧erverts," the second studio release by the gloomy Americana artist Hayden Anhed枚nia, who performs as Ethel Cain, deploys a vast array of elements. Post-industrial noise, glacial tempos, layered reverb and ritualistic incantations through darkly angelic vocals combine in a jarring exploration of self-gratification and self-loathing.
The artist鈥檚 first full-length release, blended folk, goth and ambient elements. Cain鈥檚 ethereal vocals spun a story of violence, trauma, and Southern-Baptist confession. 鈥淧erverts鈥� enters as the second installment of a planned trilogy and tells a postmodern horror story through its formidable sound. Where 鈥淧reacher's Daughter鈥� tiptoed into brutalist musical margins, 鈥淧erverts鈥� is aggressively experimental, featuring poetry-slam style exposition, long periods of droning and empty air.
Cain produces and plays a variety of instruments on 鈥淧erverts,鈥� including the uncommon, bowed-stringed hurdy gurdy. Multi-instrumentalists Matthew Tomasi of the band 9million, who also collaborated on 鈥淧reacher鈥檚 Daughter,鈥� and the lo-fi artist Angel Diaz, both make limited but impactful contributions to a soundscape that evokes intense isolation.
Finding influence in ambient music and the sub-genre slowcore, much of 鈥淧erverts鈥� can sound unstructured the first time through. A deeper listen through its 90-minute run time reveals meticulous composition, with the musical elements purposefully slowed and distorted. In sound as in lyrics, the listener is left to find pattern and meaning in its sparseness.
The title track opens the album and sets the table for the journey within. It begins with a warbly recording of the hymn that band played as the ship sank to its doom in . Nearly 40 seconds of dead air follow, before Cain speaks and repeats the line, 鈥渉eaven has forsaken the masturbator.鈥� Reverberations intensify throughout.
The metallic 鈥淧unish,鈥� which follows, is one of the more accessible songs. A simple 4-chord piano progression runs the duration. Cain delivers the lyrics in ghostly, lullaby vocals. As she sings 鈥淚 am punished by love,鈥� a grinding electric guitar engulfs the piano and vocals.
In Cain鈥檚 universe, pleasure always ends in pain. Like in 鈥淰acillator,鈥� where she sings: 鈥淚f you love me / keep it to yourself.鈥�
Cain has made an interesting choice in presenting such a difficult and unexpected sophomore release. 鈥淧reacher鈥檚 Daughter鈥� drew wide critical acclaim 鈥� at least partially due to its single anti-pop hit, 鈥淎merican Teenager鈥� 鈥� and Cain expanded her fanbase by touring with beloved acts like and 鈥淧erverts鈥� is bound to alienate some of her audience, but as an artistic statement of uncompromising experimentation, its legacy may be to expand ideas of musical boundaries.
Jim Pollock, The Associated Press
