Its Happening To Everybody - Ethel Cain's "Perverts"

By Uriel Murillo

Hayden Anhedönia, known by her stage name Ethel Cain, is a singer, songwriter, and producer known for her atmospheric and narratively charged music, building sonic and lyrical soundscapes with elements of Southern Gothic, folk, and rock. With the critical acclaim of her 2022 debut concept album, ‘Preacher’s Daughter’, Hayden got to recite the brutal life and death of Ethel Cain, thematically surrounding the midwest, the southern baptist church and the afterlife (with a hint of trauma, cannibalism, and a generational curse). Now, taking a step back from the lore of Cain, Hayden rides the momentum of Preacher’s Daughter in a unique direction, indulging in the dark themes and sounds present on the record with an experimental and ambiental extended play, 'Perverts’. Prefaced with the sole single "Punish," sitting with 9 tracks at approximately 90 minutes (with about half exceeding 10 minutes in length), let’s see how Hayden sets the tone for 2025 with her loaded extended play…

Hayden leads the project with the eponymous title track, "Perverts." The track opens with a distorted recording of the Christian hymn, "Nearer, My God, to Thee," followed by a degrading mantra forsaking “the masturbator”, the common subject of ‘Perverts’. The song lyrically supports themes of religion, nihilism, and sin present throughout much of Hayden’s art, and establishes techniques of spoken word and droning instrumentals present on the new record. She closes the track with the statement “It’s happening to everybody”, a quote used to promote the record and now ominously serves as a backbone for the project with ideologies of inevitability and helplessness.

Hayden responds to this new sound with a partial return to form in "Punish," one of few songs on the project that follows the traditional music structure that ambient music inherently rejects. This slowcore single starts with a rhythmic brass-like whine that repeats throughout the song, it pairs with Hayden’s breathy vocals and a subtle piano, only further developing with a thunderous but diffused roaring guitar in the latter half of the track. ‘Punish’ serves as a great single, serving as the transitional space between the conventionality of her music and the unconventionality of ambiance.

‘Housofpsychoticwomn’ sneaks onto ‘Perverts’ as a pseudo-single of sorts, having the demo posted on the Ethel Cain YouTube channel in November of 2021 alongside her ambient-side project SoundCloud,  אשמדאי (Asmodeus; "Ashmedaiii" on SoundCloud). The track starts with menacing vocals repeating the phrase "I love you” throughout the length of the song in an identical fashion to those on Hayden’s "Ptolomaea." The song’s main ingredient lies in the oscillating wind tone that crescendoes and mutates through its length, only barred by a sound most relatable to television static in the final stretch. The song is further supported by new backing vocals and additional bass that subtly creep into the 13-minute track.

"Vacillator" contrasts the cacophony with a drum line that rhythmically breathes in and out in isolation for around 2 minutes before being joined by Hayden’s undistorted vocals and a plucked bass and guitar. The lyrics further support themes of longing and helplessness that litter throughout the record, and after a filtered instrumental interlude, she dedicates her lines like a chant to the phrase “If you love me, keep it to yourself”. This track feels like a deconstructed version of her own ‘Gibson Girl’, having similar elements in the muted bass and drum pattern, lyrical themes of performative sexual pleasure, and possibly referencing Gibson Girl’s line “And if you hate me, please don’t tell me.”

"Onanist" pulls elements from different facets of the project, starting with a distorted piano prefacing Hayden’s ethereal vocals, themes regarding masturbation, and roaring guitars that flood the soundscape. The final third of the song transforms into a new act, tying other motifs with more repeated lyrics and distorted drones. The song defines the record’s themes and motifs, serving both figuratively and literally as the heart in the center of the play.

"Pulldrone" shortly steals the show, beginning with isolated and muffled spoken word–akin to a list of commandments or sacraments–she defines a dozen terms, states of being. These were coined by Hayden as the 12 Pillars of Simulacrum, defined as the “spiritual vehicle for my own personal ouroboros.”

Once she reaches the pillar “Perversion,” a bell chimes that activates the hurdy gurdy and violin that wax and wane throughout the track. She closes her spoken word with a prayer-like phrase, and the instruments pull and drone as the title suggests for the rest of the 15-minute track's length. The strings take the stage as the only sounds in the sonic landscape, subtly pausing, catching its breath, until they inevitably sputter and die out. ‘Etienne’ takes to the piano, an essential piece to any ambient album (See Arca’s kiCK iiiii). With just a few tweaks to the original track– posted as ‘006’ on  אשמדאי in December of 2023 –Hayden adds a folk kick with a new acoustic guitar to finish out the song. A little deviation from the established sound of ‘Perverts’ that uses familiar keys seen on her best tracks like "Televangelism" and "Sun Bleached Flies."

Hayden follows the pattern of repurposed/revamped songs from her side project with :Thatorchia," formerly known as "013" and posted on  שמדאי' on October 4th shortly before the announcement of ‘Perverts’ on October 14th. She livestreamed the creation of the song on YouTube shortly before its aggregation to the tracklist. The song starts with a spiraling and distorted wind-noise that sounds ripped from Coppola’s ‘The Conversation’. Like a painting, the sound abstracts and Hayden’s whining vocals layer the canvas, followed by strokes of guitar and feedback. The song builds tension into the subtle but appropriate resolve of isolated vocals. It really highlights the undertones of her new sound, the gentle within the harsh, and it sets up perfectly for the closing track.

"Amber Waves" closes out the project with a return to form, being more folk-oriented but stripped back and stretched out to give it that ambient mode. Alongside "Punish," the pair of songs would be previewed in live performances prior to their release, blending in with Hayden’s established sound while still standing out in her catalogue. "Amber Waves" personifies the love that is lost on account of addiction, and its minimalist approach allows for the lyrics to weigh on the audience. Hayden’s breathy vocals stand out more than ever, she stays soft and low, taking time with her words she sounds at a loss. Only 7 minutes in does the outro begin and the acoustic guitar ad libs, ebbing and flowing into the song's inevitable diminuendo. As the song comes to an end, Hayden speaks her final words of the project that encapsulate the grief of the track “I can’t feel anything.” An hour and a half later, the ride is over, but the emotions of the play stay with you.

‘Perverts’ indulges in the world Hayden built surrounding it, exploring facets beyond music in its imagery, mythology, and ideology. The project speaks subtly of its themes where Kristin Hayter screams, and amplifies the instrumentation that Grouper discreetly lays, merging the sounds with a sinister and cynical tone. With ‘Perverts’, Hayden Anhedönia really proves her ability to make audiences listen and feel, no matter how inaccessible the record has been critiqued to be. Whether it be dread, guilt, fear, shame, or empathy, Hayden proves she knows how to conquer a soundscape in a way that transcends traditional conventions of music, and bleeds into the likes of experiences or emotions. ‘Perverts’ is a powerful declaration from Hayden, it reiterates that music is art first, and like all art it can be deconstructed and redefined by the limitations of the creator, not the industry standard. While the story of Ethel Cain has been put on pause for ‘Perverts’, the projects that come between the Preacher’s Daughter trilogy will surely be fundamental to the next installment, making careful listeners like me excited for what’s next. I hope to hear more of the unique sounds from ‘Perverts’ and see how it will develop and evolve with Hayden onto her next endeavor.