When Ethel Cain, the moniker for Florida-born artist Hayden Silas Anhedönia, released her debut concept album, Preacher’s Daughter, in 2022, she garnered a small but passionate fanbase. But when Barak Obama included ‘American Teenager’ on his ‘Favourite Music of 2022’ playlist and snippets of ‘A House in Nebraska’ and ‘Strangers’ began to soundtrack TikTok trends, she was elevated to the mainstream. However, this rapid consumption of her music clashed with the introspective, narrative-driven ethos of Preacher’s Daughter. Much to her dismay, this shift saw her inadvertently sharing fanbases with the likes of beabadoobee, Chappell Roan, or Mitski.
Enter Perverts – the antidote to her predicament. An epic, hour-and-a-half-long LP, Perverts eschews the catchy hooks of her debut for deeply immersive (and often nightmarish) soundscapes.
With the shortest track, ‘Onanist,’ clocking in at almost six-and-a-half minutes, and the longest, ‘Pulldrone,’ stretching to fifteen, Perverts demands your full attention. It’s not a one-and-done listen; it’s a record that insists on being savoured and consumed with care, rewarding those who spend time immersing themselves in its complex layers.
Perverts is unequivocally dark, often feeling more like a psychological breakdown, a descent into hell set to music, or an auditory labyrinth where each twist and turn forces the listener to confront their worst nightmares. Take ‘Thatorchia’, for example, where troubled wails create an unsettling soundscape of insanity, layered over droning guitars that weave in and out of Anhedönia’s unearthly vocals. Similarly, the sinister ‘Housofpsychoticwomn’ serves as the sonic successor to Preacher’s Daughter’s ‘Ptolomea’, where tension builds through mechanical drones, only for it to be released through rhythmic cries of “I love you” amidst distraught moans and sobs. Like ‘Housofpschoticwomn’, ‘Vacillator’ also feels like a harrowing fever dream, where throbbing drums make way for subtly unnerving croons, culminating in the hypnotic repetition of “If you love me, then keep it to yourself.”
‘Onanist’ is another standout, as she abandons conventional songwriting in favour of a ghostly six-minute cinematic score. Hellish vocals, unintelligible spoken word, and warbled cries of “It feels good” make up the majority of the track. If anyone doubted Anhedönia’s ability to score a horror film, let ‘Onanist’ be her official application.
While Preacher’s Daughter was a lyric-forward project – telling the story of the titular preacher’s daughter who endures a string of abusive relationships before ultimately being kidnapped, murdered, and cannibalised – Perverts leans heavily on its instrumentals to convey its narrative. When lyrics are used, they are used sparingly and are only there to further the distress of its sound. ‘Punish’ depicts a paedophile’s eternal torment in a way Dante would be proud of, while on ‘Perverts’, the repetition of “Heaven has forgiven the masturbator” is truly spine-chilling. Elsewhere, the lyrics of ‘Pulldrone’ offer a discordant litany of ideas that do little to appease the listener.
Despite its resounding bleakness, moments of respite are scattered throughout. The closing track, ‘Amber Waves,’ offers understated beauty as Anhedönia’s feathery vocals intertwine with soft waves of electric guitar, providing a moment of solace in the agony. Moreover, the lilting ‘Etienne’ is a piano-led composition in the vein of ‘Televangelism’ (Preacher’s Daughter), where a subdued Americana beat is washed in static-laden white noise, giving the track a haunted yet hopeful quality.
There are moments where the record’s momentum falters, allowing the ebbs and flows to drag on for longer than necessary. For example, the first four minutes of ‘Thatorchia’ consist almost entirely of silence, potentially further alienating listeners already daunted by the album’s title and extensive track lengths. However, it also provides a rare moment of reflection within the torture, forcing the listener to embrace the discomfort of silence. Similarly, the sprawling length and impenetrable lyrics of ‘Pulldrone’ make it a challenging listen. However, these bold choices underscore Anhedönia’s ambition to keep carving her own path, regardless of what casual fans may make of it.
Perverts doesn’t cater to everyone, but it’s not meant to. As each whine and eerie synth alienate one fan, she is bound to gain another. At its core, it’s a passion project, forgoing commercial appeal in favour of a creative vision that is uniquely her own. If anything, Perverts is a daring testament to Anhedönia’s vision, cementing her position as a trailblazer in the alternative music landscape.
Words by Sophie Flint Vázquez