Ethel Cain returns to music with her new project, Perverts: an atmospheric record that is expertly crafted and drips with auto-erotic imagery.
The release sees Cain stepping away from the lyrical prowess that brought her commercial success on 2022’s Preacher’s Daughter LP, moving instead towards a darker, more industrial sound; one whose sparse lyrics evoke an unsettling aura.
With no tracks dipping below the six-minute mark, Cain’s stylistic decisions are deliberate and well showcased on the record’s opening track, ‘Perverts’. Throwing all expectations of a traditional lyrical follow-up record out of the park, she opens with a twelve-minute recitation of the hymn, ‘Nearer, my God, to Thee‘. Cutting back-and-forth from white noise, the song is aching and draws the listener into the circles of hell.
Entirely written, mixed and produced by Hayden Anhedönia, the artist behind Ethel Cain, Perverts does not stray too far from her previous projects in regard to its thematic depth. It does, however, turn away from the narrative style which drew fans to Cain’s songwriting and instead challenges herself to produce a record which is both provocative and experimental.
The theme of self-pleasure runs prominently through Perverts, with any given track having a link to the album’s title. ‘Punish’, the lead single from the project, depicts a child molester’s self-inflicted pain in exile: “I am punished by love,” Cain sings. This exploration of love, and the boldness with which she writes about taboo subject matter, is intriguing. Even the most experimental of artists would be forgiven for considering these topics to be prohibited, but Cain does not shy away from this – a characteristic that her dedicated fanbase rightfully celebrate in her output.
‘Vacillator’, where Cain’s inimitably haunting vocals combine with Matthew Tomasi’s drumming to curate a gorgeous soundscape, marks a highlight. Throwing the listener between her feelings of commitment and detachment, the song breaks up a record that, otherwise, would threaten to drag before it even breaching its second half.
Cain’s army of dedicated fans will applaud the tension created throughout the ninety-minute runtime, which leaves you on the edge of your seat in anticipation of whether she’ll cut through the circling sound with a moan or a scream. For the uninitiated listener, however, Perverts will feel unnecessarily drawn out; particularly when moving from ‘Pulldrone’ and ‘Etienne’ into ‘Thatorchia‘.
The truth, in reality, lies somewhere between these takes. And, as the spacious slowcore of ‘Amber Waves’ rounds out a beautifully disturbing record, the track’s themes of throwing your life away in the pursuit of pleasure feel eerily appropriate after completing Perverts‘ hefty one and a half hour rotation.
featured image: Silken Weinberg
