Ethel Cain’s “Preacher’s Daughter” (Hayden Silas Anhedönia) is a captivating exploration of love, religion and mortality, steeped in the unique blend of Southern Gothic aesthetics. This album, a fusion of multiple genres, is a testament to the power of lyrics and vocals in creating a truly astonishing musical experience.
The album’s journey begins with the haunting melody of “Family Tree Intro,” a song that sets the stage for the darker and deeper themes that unfold. This song, a reflection of Ethel’s eternal ties to her religion and family, subtly hints at her eventual fate due to her rebellion.
The album then transitions to an upbeat “American Teenager” pop song. This is the true beginning of Ethel’s story. This song further captures Ethel’s desire for rebellion while also painting the image of the American Dream. In her small southern town, Ethel chases the American Dream, feeling frustrated that she cannot obtain the romanticized typical American teenager life that she wishes for. The rebellion from her religion starts here as she sings the line, “Jesus, if you’re there / why do I feel alone in this room with you?”
Following this song, the next track is titled “A House In Nebraska” and is a beautiful and sad ballad. Ethel reminisces on her ex-lover (Willoughby Tucker), who you can hear as she yearns for the love she once had. This track is one of the best at highlighting Ethel’s vocals, her voice strongly dripping in love and melancholy. The lyrics, the melody and the songs all create an overwhelmingly beautiful listening experience. She reminisces on her life and the future she dreamed of with her lover, only to be forced to accept her fate of being alone without him.
“Western Nights” is the next track, and it is at this point in the album that things begin to get darker and more violent. Ethel has found her new lover (Logan Phelps) in this track. He is a stereotypical bad boy, riding motorcycles and robbing banks. The lines “I watched him show his love / Through shades of black and blue” and “I’m never gonna leave you, baby, / Even if you lose what’s left of your mind” show how Ethel is willing to stay with her new abusive lover as long as she is free from the life she once lived. Ethel is so determined to escape from her past that she is willing to sacrifice her future. Her new lover ends up fatally shot in a bank robbery, and Ethel is once again left with no one but herself.
The next song, “Family Tree,” connects back to the first song, “Family Tree Intro.” Here, Ethel feels she is finally breaking free from her past. In the intro, Ethel describes being hung by the family tree. In this song, however, a line states, “take the noose off, wrap it tight around my hand,” showing that she has now broken free from the past she was previously tied to.
“Hard Times” is another slow and sad song on the album. It briefly covers some of the trauma she endured from her father when she was younger. “I was too young to notice / that some kinds of love could be bad.” In lines such as this one, Ethel struggles to come to terms with the torment her father put her through.
The next song, “Thoroughfare,” introduces her new lover Isaiah. This song falls more into the country genre, and it is in this song that Ethel and Isaiah begin their journey searching for meaning and love in their lives. In his pickup truck, they travel to California, both searching for love, only to ultimately find it in each other. “You might not be my love / but baby, I doubt it” is when Isaiah professes his love for Ethel, starting her new relationship.
“Gibson Girl” begins the crumbling of yet another one of Ethel’s relationships. It is in this song where things get dark between Ethel and Isaiah. He becomes abusive and exploits her, which will lead Ethel down a path darker than any of her previous ones.
“Ptolemaea” is the darkest and most disturbing song on the entire album, yet beautiful nonetheless. The title of this track is a reference to Dante’s Inferno, the last circle of hell. It is in the ninth circle of hell where people who have betrayed the trust of someone special are sent. In this song, Isaiah does the ultimate and darkest act of betrayal, where he kills Ethel and cannibalizes her. Featuring a demonic voice and Ethel’s strong yet soft vocals, the song leads to a disturbing build up where we hear Ethel’s screams for Isaiah to stop. The line “Even the iron still fears the rot” shows how even the toughest things, or people, still fear the things that eat and destroy them. This song in itself showcases all of Ethel’s fears coming to life as she is killed and eaten.
The second to last song on the album “Sun Bleached Flies” describes Ethel’s reflection on her life, family and first love. The song, with hints and touches of gospel, brings back the yearning from “House In Nebraska” in this gospel-esque melody, as Ethel yearns to be brought to her past. The line “If it’s meant to be / it will be” shows how Ethel is coming to terms with the fact that by believing in God, she must also believe that things will happen the way he has them planned, whether it be as dark and disturbing as the fatality she met. Ethel begins to accept the fate she was brought to in this song. “God loves you / but not enough to save you” reinforces the idea that even if someone loves you, they still have the ability to betray you.
The last song on the album is the track “Strangers.” It is in this song that Isaiah begins to face consequences from his actions, as he gets sick from eating Ethel’s body. “If I’m turning in your stomach / am I making you feel sick” shows how Ethel puts up a fight with Isaiah, even after death, sickening him as he consumes her. In contrast to “Sun Bleached Flies” where Ethel is coming to terms with her life and her death, in “Strangers” she realizes she cannot make peace with what happened to her. She was always hung by her family tree and never truly escaped. She never found true love. She never obtained her American Dream.
In my opinion, “Preacher’s Daughter” is one of the best albums to be released within the last couple of years. It’s storytelling, the powerful vocals, the instrumentals and everything else that goes into this album creates an overwhelmingly beautiful yet dark listening experience.
