Perverts

Perverts is the second studio album by Ethel Cain, released on January 8, 2025, through her label Daughters of Cain in partnership with AWAL. Marking a stark departure from her 2022 debut, Preacher’s Daughter, this 89-minute project delves into deeply experimental territory, blending elements of drone, slowcore, dark ambient, and power electronics to craft a haunting and immersive listening experience.

Initially envisioned as a concept album exploring societal outcasts, Perverts evolved into a standalone work, distinct from the trilogy Cain originally planned. Drawing inspiration from Donald Ray Pollock’s short stories, she sought to further embrace slowcore and ambient music, favoring elongated compositions filled with heavy reverb and hypnotic repetition. The album was entirely self-written, recorded, and produced by Cain in 2024, with sessions taking place in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, and Tallahassee, Florida. She also collaborated with musicians Matthew Tomasi, Angel Diaz, Bryan De Leon, and Madeline Johnston, who contributed additional instrumental layers.

Lyrically and thematically, Perverts intertwines religious and sexual imagery, exploring themes of shame, desire, and spiritual conflict. The opening track features an interpolation of the hymn Nearer, My God, to Thee, setting a somber tone for the record. The lead single, Punish, was released on November 1, 2024, accompanied by a haunting music video co-directed by Cain and Silken Weinberg. Critics have praised Perverts for its fearless departure from traditional songwriting, with Pitchfork highlighting its raw, unfiltered approach to trauma and self-exploration.