Following the release of the November single “Punish,” Ethel Cain has officially released her second studio album, Perverts. The nine-track LP is primarily instrumental featuring songs that range up to 15 minutes in length.
On Instagram, the Preacher’s Daughter star shared more about the unique instruments added to the LP and thanked the music makers. “Perverts is officially out,” she says. “Thank you so much to @matthewtomasi for his drums on Vacillator, the heavy guitar on Punish, and the boom on Amber Waves, @vyva_melinkolya for her lapsteel and baritone guitar on Punish that makes my world go round, the upright bass on Onanist, and that lapsteel and e-piano also on Amber Waves, @mercury_tracer for her heavenly metal on Amber Waves a track she served as an intense inspiration for), and @bryanrulez for his acoustic stylings on Etienne. Y’all make my world go round.”
She continues, “I’d also like to thank the natural drone music that exists everywhere in this world, in transformer boxes and powerlines on the side of the highway, in the radio static of an empty AM frequency, in the fan of my computer as my Ableton project files overloaded the CPU, and in the distant roar of the interstate on the other side of my favorite field. I love you, sound, you have always been there for me.”
Read more: Ethel Cain Confirms That A ‘Preacher’s Daughter’ Vinyl Is Coming
With haunting, experimental melodies and dissonant, angelic vocals, Perverts has fans shaking…literally.
On social media, fans are loving the new record–embracing its avant-garde, non-commercial sounds. But some are recommending you don’t stream it in the dark if you are scared easily. The vibe can be described as A24 horror film soundtrack, just FYI. Some listeners took to Twitter/X to give a fair warning.
All jokes aside, this new project is distinct, wonderfully weird, and approaches love, religion, lust, etc. in nuanced ways. And truly, how stunning is it for an album to make listeners feel a chill down their spine upon the first few notes and maintain that delicious discomfort throughout the whole duration? Overall, it’s certainly not the best dance party album, but it is one for the whimsical indie-rock people who want to bask in a uniquely creepy universe.
Ethel Cain will premiere her “Vacillator” music video on January 9 at noon EST. Stream the record here.
