by Dollie Kyarn
Ethel Cain is a stage name/character for Hayden Silas Anhedˆnia, a Tallahassee native and child of a Southern Baptist deacon. Choosing the moniker for its biblical allusion and its matronly feel, Anhedönia has been writing under the name since producing the 2019 EP titled “Carpet Bed.” Deriving influence from Christian music and Florence and the Machine, many of Ethel Cain’s albums feel like she extracted memories from the spanish moss hanging off of an oak tree.
As a character, Ethel Cain’s storyline is expressed through the concept albums Preacherís Daughter (2022) and Willoughby Tucker, Iíll Always Love You (2025). The former contains Cain’s escape from religion and the subsequent kidnapping, abuse, and murder that befalls Cain. The latter tells the story of Cain’s teenage years and her relationship with her boyfriend Willoughby Tucker and the ways her upbringing will always affect her.
Preacher’s Daughter is a dreamy set of 13 songs, filled with rich vocals and a fresh perspective on songwriting. The album contains “American Teenager,” an anti-war pop-ish song that touches on the “American Dream”, gun culture and intergenerational trauma in a way that music critics still appreciate to this day.
Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You fully demonstrates Cain’s evolution as a songwriter in the three years since Preacher’s Daughter. The two leading singles from this album are titled “Nettles” and “Fuck Me Eyes,” with the former track using lap steel and banjo to create a twisted, romantic, Americana atmosphere that captures the character’s innocence. The latter approaches both sexuality and the forcefully imposed perception associated with it.
Between these two releases is the early-2025 album Perverts, an experimental project based around drones and ambient soundscapes. The lead single “Punish” is a somber, ghostly track with rusty swingset noises, detuned piano, and Anhedönia’s gentle and mournful voice. The titular track “Perverts” is a 12-minute drone, with the sounds of a dying radio broadcast and an alien abduction, a perfect track for listeners who like haunting people. Her YouTube channel contains music videos, unreleased music, and long-winded videos talking about video games, anime, and witchcraft.
Ethel Cain performs with 9Million at the Fillmore Theatre in Miami Beach on May 9. ~ Erik Kvarnberg
