The singer from Tallahassee, Florida, Ethel Cain is making her music full of dark themes and deep American aesthetics a global phenomenon
Hayden Silas Anhedönia Born on March 24, 1998, in Tallahassee, Florida, better known as the American singer-songwriter Ethel Cain and currently resides in Enterprise, Alabama. In mid-2017, Cain embarked on a creative exploration, writing, recording, and producing music heavily influenced by ethereal and Gregorian chant styles. These initial experiments were released on streaming platforms alongside sites like SoundCloud and Tumblr. However, by mid-2019, Cain transitioned to a more alternative sound, adopting the now-recognized alter ego Ethel Cain. Her music delves into themes of nostalgia and Southern Gothic imagery, exploring poverty, substance abuse, domestic violence, death, and the weight of transgenerational trauma. Talking about her music genre, Cain‘s work is often associated with ambient, alternative rock, and dream pop. However, she is a difficult singer to fit into a specific one as her music transcends common patterns.
Known on social media as @mothercain with her fandom name being her “Daughters of Cain“. The fact the fandom name sounds like a cult is a huge part of her aesthetics and way of acting. Her religiously related aesthetics really set Ethel Cain apart from many other artists.
Ethel Cain began her career in 2017 and found her place in the industry in 2021 with Inbred
While thinking about joining the film school at Florida State University in 2017, Anhedönia began experimenting with reverb-heavy, choral-inspired music using GarageBand. From 2017 to 2018, she released experimental mixtapes and EPs under various aliases, exploring different sounds and production techniques. These works were shared with a small following on Twitter and Instagram.
A turning point came in 2019 with the release of “Bruises,” her debut single as Ethel Cain. This connected her with artist Nicole Dollanganger on social media, leading to an opening slot on Dollanganger‘s “Heart Shaped Bed” tour in Chicago. Furthermore, in September 2019 she released Carpet Bed, her first EP under the name of Cain. Further acclaim followed in December 2019 with the Golden Age EP. In addition this release got praises by the artist Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, who praised Cain‘s “mature songwriting and understanding of melody”.
Cain’s career took a significant step forward in January 2020. Since rapper Lil Aaron discovered her and subsequently connected her with his publishing company, Prescription Songs, where she quickly signed a deal. In the event that the COVID-19 pandemic forced Cain into quarantine, she relocated from Florida to a church outside Richmond, Indiana in August 2020. This new environment served as the backdrop for completing her first major label EP, Inbred. Marking a departure from the dream-pop stylings of Golden Age, Inbred showcased a cleaner, alt-rock-inspired sound, entirely self-produced and mixed by Cain.
Her first single with the new publishing company was Michelle Pfeiffer feat Lil Aaron. After that, she launched her most famous album Preacher’s Daughter
February 2021 saw the release of Cain’s first single under her new contract: “Michelle Pfeiffer,” featuring Lil Aaron. Premiered on Paper magazine, the song garnered significant attention from Pitchfork, Billboard, Nylon, and The Fader. She followed up with the announcement of her third EP, Inbred (featuring a collaboration with Wicca Phase Springs Eternal), the release of a second single (“Crush” on March 18), and a third single (“Unpunishable“) premiered on Apple Music Radio 1 with Zane Lowe on April 15, 2021.
Cain continued her artistic momentum on March 17, 2022, with the release of the single “Gibson Girl.” This single was used to announce the arrival of her debut album, Preacher’s Daughter, released on May 12, 2022, via her own Daughters of Cain label. The thirteen-song album is part of the ongoing Ethel Cain Universe.
Her most popular song American Teenager is a controversial topic among Ethel and her fans
The song is the third single of Preacher’s Daughter. However, it became the most popular and one of her most successful songs. In a press release for the single, Ethel said:
“Growing up I was surrounded by visions of NASCAR, rock’n’roll, and being the one who would change everything. They make you think it’s all achievable and that if nothing else, you should at least die trying. What they don’t tell you is that you need your neighbor more than your country needs you. I wrote this song as an expression of my frustration with all the things the ‘American Teenager’ is supposed to be but never had any real chance of becoming.”
She recently deleted her Twitter and Tumblr accounts. One of the causes fans point at is the rising popularity of American Teenager. The song was covered recently by Gracie Abrams. Also featured in Barack Obama’s favorite 2022 songs. Clearly, things that Ethel did not enjoy. To put it another way, the song criticizing American society was becoming extremely popular and maybe losing its meaning.
Crush is another rejected child. This is because Ethel Cain does not want to be related just to the Pop sound
“Crush” another of her most popular songs is also a victim of this regret. From her FADER interview: “God bless Crush, it was a fun song, but I honestly reject ever making that song. Because people are obsessed with pop music, and if they hear you do even a shred of anything pop-tinted, they’re like “we only want this from you.” “I don’t want to become known as the bitch who wrote ‘I owe you a black eye and two kisses’ and has kitschy lyrics, I want to be known as the girl who wrote ‘God loves you, but not enough to save you.’ I want to be known as the girl who wrote lyrics with a story behind them, I’m not a fucking pop artist. I reject that wholeheartedly.”
What can we expect from Ethel Cain in the near future?
She is obviously expected to continue her career launching a new Album or EP soon. Although her most expected appearances are her “Childish Behaviour” Tour and the Thing Festival in Carnation, Washington.
Her announcements are always cryptic so fans could really expect anything coming from her. A continuation of her Ethel Cain universe or even a new chapter as a different alter ego.
Guillermo Lorenzo Manzano
