Since it’s happening to everybody, we should probably talk about it.
Ethel Cain’s second full-length album, “Perverts,” has been out for the past few days, quickly gaining online notoriety and many a spirited debate. Some love it, some hate it, some aren’t so sure, and some don’t even want to talk about it because gasp the album is called “Perverts.” Not all that controversial a word for me, so, let’s dive in.
About two months ago, I wrote an article exclusively covering the single “Punish,” offering my perspective on the song separated from the context of the album. I have had plenty of time to ponder what the overall message will be, since. The title is doing a lot of heavy lifting, but you can already get a grasp on the subject matter and overall vibe from it alone. The one thing I was missing was the sound, which is the true star of this project.
“Preacher’s Daughter” is a wonderful album and much of it is carried by the incredible lyrics, placing the narrative front and center. Obviously, the instrumentals and Anhedönia’s voice — reminder, Ethel Cain’s real name is Hayden Silas Anhedönia — contribute to what makes “Preacher’s Daughter” a resounding success, but lyrics like “Jesus can always reject his father/ But he cannot escape his mother’s blood,” “Even the iron still fears the rot,” “I can’t let go when something’s broken/ It’s all I know and it’s all I want now,” and, really, I could keep going on this because each lyric will resonate differently with every listener. “Preacher’s Daughter” is an album you can listen to in order or pick out your favs to put on shuffle, but some are already calling “Perverts” a one-and-done. Why is that?
Back to the idea of the “sound.” That’s what “Perverts” has in droves, sound. “Perverts” could almost be mistaken for a new installment of the Silent Hill game series soundtracks, which I think she did for me, personally, so thanks, Ethel! Industrial, haunting, deeply unsettling in parts, with moments of reprieve that still make you question your safety. This is not an album you play in the background while you clean your apartment or do errands, this is an experience. Each song demands all of your attention, holding on with nails gripping into your skin, drawing blood so you can feel their same agony.
When I completed my first listen to the album, I felt as though I had made it through Dante’s nine circles of hell, one for each track. You are trekking along in a grey wasteland, looking around at fields of death and suffering and an overwhelming sense of loneliness. Many turn to their perversions to alleviate that isolation.
Cain has answered a variety of questions on her Tumblr about the making of and inspirations for “Perverts.” Many have asked for answers, but Ethel Cain may not even know them, herself. On Jan. 8, “Perverts” release date, she responded: “what i took away from the project was i’m still not sure what balance i think is healthiest to strike between neutrality and taking the beating of passing through the ring over and over. i suppose that’s for each listener to decide for themselves. maybe we’ll never know before we die. i guess only god knows.” So, here is what I decided for myself.
Perverts
Track one is lyrically sparse for an over-12-minute song, but it is acting as your baptism by fire into the album. There is no escape now. Cain is telling the listener in between howling winds, ringing, and what almost sounds like discordant bell chimes that there are two things we as humans have in common: we are all guilty of sin and we will die. By the decree of Heaven, we are all perverts in our own ways. “It’s happening to everybody.”
Punish
To expand a bit more on my previous article, the moans of the song hint at one of the album’s themes, that being, the intersection of love and pain. Are those moans of pain or pleasure? Are they one and the same? Is pain pleasure and/or vice-versa?
Housofpsychoticwomn
“Houseofpsychoticwomn” opens with “I love you” being repeated over and over again. That phrase should be light, comforting, desirable. But no. To be loved is a threat. This song is a threat as each “I love you” feels more insidious than the last, compounded by what sounds like barking dogs in the background. (That’s how it sounds to me, at least.) To be loved, to have someone tell you that they love you, it takes something away, some intrinsic part of yourself that can never return. It is painful to give yourself away to someone, and exceedingly so if they leave.
Vacillator
Ethel’s voice is a welcome respite, but, the lyrics are deeply tragic in this track. This song is soft, resigned, and sparse on instruments to prove a point, this character is empty, depressed, and full of self-hatred. They are desperate for connection, using sex as a way to bridge that gap yet never crossing it into love. They believe they are undeserving, repeating, “If you love me/ Keep it to yourself.” “Vacillator” as a noun means “one who hesitates, usually out of fear,” and that is what holds them back. That fear of being loved, possibly being rejected, or having to look further inside themself to see the parts worth loving, that is their perversion.
Onanist
“Onanist” starts and stops briefly at the beginning of the song, almost as if someone is restarting a gramophone, listening to the same song again. “I want to know love/ I want to know what it feels like,” Cain sings bringing forth a crescendo, the realization shaking the earth. But, the answer, “It feels good,” seems shallow. Like many other instances in the album, Cain utilizes repetition, almost as if this character is trying to convince themselves that love feels good at all. The desire to know outweighs the knowing.
Pulldrone
A prayer, perhaps. A prayer from a fallen angel that hates their God, bemoaning many of the worst consequences of humanity: death, hate, curiosity, apathy. All of this as a lone violin, it seems, is played. A few notes, back and again for nearly ten minutes, numbing your mind yet putting you on high alert. This is unnerving. You should feel deeply uncomfortable, falling alongside this angel.
Etienne
Personally, this is probably my favorite track. I think it sits on the border of beautiful and unsettling. But, those can be one and the same. There is beauty in the unknown, in the macabre and the unsightly. There is beauty in the things that go unspoken or hidden away in the darkest corners. If you can find the beauty, perhaps it was always there and has always been this way. As the song comes to a close, a ringing breaks out, the ringing as if you’re about to pass out. That feeling where you know it’s coming but are still trying to hold on. Your hearing is muffled and vision spotty, a liminal space between life and sleep, or even death.
Thatorchia
This song sounds like a musical interpretation of dust and wind blowing over an apocalyptic wasteland. Harsh and foreboding. We brought this upon ourselves. This is our punishment.
Amber Waves
We have reached the conclusion. But the question remains, have we reached purgatory or have we descended to the furthest point of hell? There’s a palpable sadness to this song as if it’s the moments following someone giving up and giving into numbness. Would you rather feel love? Would you rather feel pain? They’re not all that different… or, would you rather feel nothing at all?