Warning: this article discusses themes of suicide, sex, and sexual violence.

Hayden Silas Anhedönia, better known by her stage name Ethel Cain, has made quite an imprint on the music scene since her 2022 album Preacher's Daughter took critics by storm with its twisted, Southern Gothic-inspired story and sound. An intense exploration of family trauma and sexual violence, partially inspired by Anhedönia's own youth spent as the child of a deacon, Preacher's Daughter was a mishmash of genres that culminated in an incredibly unique sonic landscape, which critics ate up readily.

Cain's latest release is Perverts, which, sonically, seems to be reactionary to Preacher's Daughter. While only nine tracks long, Perverts has a runtime of nearly an hour and a half; notably absent are any of the four- and five-minute, relatively easily digestible or pop-adjacent songs from the previous album, like the single "American Teenager." With this release, Cain seems...