Ethel Cain: Perverts

Ethel Cain showcases the diversity of the individual with the follow-up to 2022’s critically acclaimed and beloved Preacher’s Daughter with Perverts. Comparing the two would be like comparing one’s bright-eyed kindergarten self with the bruised and broken present-day adult they now are. With her last record, the songwriting was placed in the forefront. This time around it’s the arrangements, the moods created, and the eeriness that takes the wheel and drives this record for those who aren’t afraid to get a little experimental with their musical choices. 

Perverts opens with what I lovingly call some Nosferatu music. The sort of music one hears in a horror movie right after the final scene is said and done, and right before the credits play. With that chilling factor, the title track sets things in motion for what is to follow. That includes an array of audiophiles’ wet dreams via “Housofpsychoticwomn” and “Thatorchia.” On the flip side, while this record wasn’t all about the lyrics for me, it had a couple that stood out such as “You won’t lose me to thunder or lightning/But you could to crowded rooms,” from “Vacillator,” and the simple yet effective “I am punished by love” from “Punish.” 

What makes this album stand out amongst its peers though are the risks taken. Songs that range from 12-15 minutes are not heading to Top 40 radio anytime soon, but something tells me Ethel Cain isn’t the type of artist that cares too much about being nestled in between the likes of Bad Bunny and Olivia Rodrigo on the charts. Another couple of risks came with “Pulldrone,” a song that felt more like something one might hear at a poetry reading. 

Doing the same thing over and over again in a creative space can bore the artist more than those taking in the art, but Ethel Cain doesn’t have to worry about that. Straying away from what was done on Preacher’s Daughter. A Southern Gothic sound, but with a bigger emphasis on the latter half of that this time, Perverts allows the world to hear a new side of Ethel Cain, and it’s out now. 

Ethel Cain Perverts
Release Date: January 9, 2025
Genre: Alternative, Experimental
Reasons to Sing Along: “Punish” and “Vacillator”