ETHEL CAIN - Perverts (Review)

“And we passed through the country of the blind. 
And we passed through the slough of the despond. 
And we passed through the veil of tears.
And we came, finally…”

‘I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream’ by Harlan Ellison

---

Written by: Ancient Hand

The story of Ethel Cain--the artist, not the titular character of the debut LP Preacher’s Daughter (2022)--is spreading like wildfire. Is it truly necessary to dissect the relationship between Ms. Cain and her rapidly expanding, terminally-online fanbase? I hope not. It feels tired. It feels like a shallow reading of this project’s intentions. It feels like the conversation the artist herself does not want to have. The important footnote to this is that Ethel Cain wants her art, which she puts immense amounts of thought and energy into (just like every other solo music artist), to be taken seriously. With that in mind, let’s discuss her first extended foray into drone and noise music under the name of Ethel Cain. 

Perverts, which has been dubbed an album by some, an EP by many more, and a release by the artist that created it, is an 89-minute project that explores themes of love, sex, devotion, and self-inflicted punishment. This is immediately evident through the repeated lines on the title track: “Heaven has forsaken the masturbator.” This perverse [haha] and deeply unsettling notion is just one of many swirling through this project’s runtime. With the twisting of the themes of sex and religion into the DNA of this release, Cain has to be saying something big, right? Her intentions in the past have always portrayed a deep understanding of the American South and the cycle of violence inflicted upon women by those they should trust the most, but what is Perverts saying? According to Cain, she is discussing the Pillars of the Simulacrum. In essence, the replacing of what does and should exist with an imitation or false representation of that honest original. These twelve steps are outlined on the aptly titled “Pulldrone,” which paint an image of descending into a depravity beyond compare--through layers of apathy, lust, hate, and annihilation as well as a host of other progressively tormentous and self-fulfilling concepts riddled with emotional horror. The key here is that Ethel Cain is exploring the very idea of creating a false sense of self to present to others--this false self comes in numerous forms, and the greatest danger shared by all is their collective dishonesty.

---

In terms of honest-to-punishing-God drone tracks, there are three on this record: “Perverts,” “Housofpsychoticwomn,” and “Pulldrone.” The other tracks make use of drone elements, though they tie in other components (“Etienne”) or limit the runtime comparatively (“Thatorchia”). The effectiveness of these three tracks is most seen in a full submersion of this album’s core tenets. Without that understanding nor the front-to-back listening experience, these tracks can most certainly feel like the buzzing of crickets on a haunted night…but crickets nonetheless. As someone that does enjoy drone and ambient music, I believe the most effective of these tracks is the titular opener. “Perverts’” organic hum and muffled, distorted vocals create a sense of deep unease that mimics Dante’s descent into Hell. Only this time, it feels like a Hell of your own making. This wasn’t set forth for you to overcome; you built this cavern to keep yourself trapped, right down to your inability to take care of yourself behind the wheel of your car: “Fast, reckless driving often leads to slow, sad music,” Cain informs us, illustrating the upcoming desire to inflict danger upon the self caused by looking too closely in the mirror she is holding up. 

​“Pulldrone” is probably the least effective of the Trve Drone tracks in isolation. Its building tension is only brought to reprieve by the following track, “Etienne,” which is one of Cain’s most starkly beautiful songs in her entire catalogue. That is to say, however, that “Pulldrone” on its own can be a meandering and unfulfilling experience on its own.
​

“Punish,” “Vacillator,” and “Amber Waves” are the tracks that are most akin to the songwriter’s back catalogue. Of these three, “Punish” is the most immediately effective with its winding sample of a swing set and delicate vocals delivered over a harsh guitar that crescendos in the back half. However, this build-up doesn’t feel heavenly– quite the opposite. The references to Plauché and self-inflicted punishment indicate that we are listening to a guilt-ridden child sex predator… This heightening of emotion feels like a catharsis for us to finally be rid of the voice that has been crooning in our ears rather than granting an intense catharsis for the character themself. 

Perverts is a dizzying tour through the temple of the Dishonest One, a frightening examination into the minds of the sexually repressed and those inundated with religious aversions to physical pleasure. Not every song is relatable, but every song is effective in what it seeks to do--“Onanist” feels like a plea for forgiveness after engaging in the sin of self-pleasure; "Etienne" feels like the eye of the storm you find yourself in when you look around at the life you’ve been making and go 'Shit…is this really all I have?' and “Amber Waves” feels like a downer slipped under the tongue as this character portrait sees someone decide that drugs are enough, that love doesn’t need to be from a person, that being held is all that matters in the end, even if you’re being held by the swinging pendulum of addiction, fluctuating between ‘everything is fine’ and ‘nothing ever has been.’ 

Ethel Cain - Perverts was released Jan. 8th, 2025 via Daughters of Cain

---

Ethel Cain can be found:
Website
​Instagram