Ethel Cain

Ethel Cain is the name used by singer-songwriter Hayden Silas Anhedönia, who in a series of albums has been building a narrative arc around a fictional character also called Ethel Cain. Her music alternates mostly between anthemic indie rock pieces that can get quite dramatic, following the flow of her subject matter, and a combination of dream pop, slow core, and ambient music. There are also some folk motifs that show up occasionally. She often creates a delicate texture that lingers around long notes, slowly evolving melodies, and a thick layer of atmospherics designed to set up a mood and let the music expand from there. Her melodies can be haunting, and so are the stories she tells, drawing from common southern gothic themes including religious repression, sex, violence, despair, and so on. Her 2024 album Perverts is particularly heavy in terms of tone and mood.