Hayden Silas Anhedönia—better known to the world as Ethel Cain—has this terrifying, beautiful knack for making you feel like you’re trespassing. Listening to her music is like stumbling upon a rusted box of polaroids in the crawlspace of a house where something very bad happened. Since the massive underground success of her 2022 concept album Preacher’s Daughter, fans have been ravenous for the next chapter of the "Southern Gothic" cinematic universe she’s built. That’s where perverts by ethel cain comes in. It isn't just a song; it's a visceral, grimy, and deeply uncomfortable exploration of the darker corners of human desire and the trauma that often rots beneath it.
It's heavy. It’s loud. It’s exactly what her cult-like following needed.
The Raw Sound of Perverts by Ethel Cain
If you were expecting the shimmering, dream-pop haze of "American Teenager," you're in the wrong place. This track feels more like the industrial-tinged sludge of Inbred. It’s thick. The guitars don’t just play; they groan under the weight of the atmosphere.
When perverts by ethel cain first started circulating, particularly through live recordings and leaked demos before any official polish, the reaction was immediate. People were struck by the sheer aggression of it. It’s a slow burn that eventually catches fire, fueled by lyrics that refuse to look away from the "gross" parts of intimacy. Cain has always been open about her influences—think the sprawling dread of Chelsea Wolfe or the grit of Nine Inch Nails—but here, she settles into a sound that is uniquely hers. It’s what some fans have jokingly (but accurately) called "slowcore for the traumatized."
Honestly, the production is what carries the emotional weight. There’s this specific distortion on her vocals that makes her sound like she’s screaming from the bottom of a well. You can feel the moisture in the air. You can smell the stale cigarettes and the pine needles. It’s immersive in a way that most radio-friendly pop simply cannot touch.
Breaking Down the Lyrical Horror
Ethel Cain doesn't do "subtle" when it comes to the Southern Gothic tradition. We’re talking about an artist whose debut album ended with the protagonist being murdered and literally consumed. In perverts by ethel cain, the focus shifts toward the psychological entanglement of two people who are, by societal standards, broken.
The title itself is a provocation.
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In a 2024 interview with Rolling Stone, Cain touched on the idea of reclaiming the "ugly" parts of herself. She doesn't want to be a polished trans icon or a flawless pop star. She wants to be the girl in the woods. The lyrics in "Perverts" lean heavily into the "predator vs. prey" dynamic, but with a twist: sometimes the prey wants to be there. It’s a messy, consensual-but-toxic exploration of power.
"I’m not trying to make music that makes people feel safe," she’s said in various Tumblr posts and Discord chats. "I want to make music that makes people feel seen in their worst moments."
This song does exactly that. It looks at the voyeuristic nature of modern relationships. It asks why we are so obsessed with watching things fall apart.
Why the Internet is Obsessed with This Specific Track
You’ve probably seen the TikTok edits. Slowed-down clips of 90s horror movies or grainy footage of abandoned churches set to the bridge of perverts by ethel cain. There is a specific aesthetic—"Southern Gothic," "Coquette-Goth," "Hillbillicore"—that Cain has come to define for Gen Z.
- The Lore: Everything Ethel Cain does is connected. Fans spend hours on Reddit and Twitter (X) dissecting how "Perverts" fits into the timeline of the Ethel Cain character. Is this a flashback? Is this a side story?
- The Authenticity: In an era of AI-generated hooks and overly processed vocals, the raw, bleeding-heart energy of this track feels like a slap in the face. It’s real. It’s human.
- The Community: Being an Ethel Cain fan is like being in a very specific, very sad club. Sharing "Perverts" is a shorthand for saying, "I get it. I’ve been in that dark place too."
The song has become a staple of her live sets, often accompanied by flickering visuals that look like they were recovered from a snuff film. It’s theater. It’s high art. It’s also just really good rock music.
The Technical Brilliance of Anhedönia
Let’s talk about the actual music for a second. Hayden is a self-taught producer. That is insane when you hear the layers in perverts by ethel cain.
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She uses a lot of reverb. A lot. But it’s never muddy. She knows exactly when to pull back the instrumentation to let her voice crack. The song relies on a minor key progression that feels cyclical, almost like a trap. You keep waiting for a resolution, a "happy" chord, but it never comes. Instead, the tension just builds until it’s unbearable.
The percussion is sparse. It feels like a heartbeat—sometimes steady, sometimes skipping. This isn't music you dance to; it's music you stare at the ceiling to.
A Departure from Preacher’s Daughter?
Many critics wondered if she would lean more into the "pop" sound of songs like "American Teenager" for her follow-up projects. perverts by ethel cain proves that she has no interest in selling out. If anything, she’s getting weirder. She’s getting darker.
While Preacher’s Daughter was a sprawling epic about a specific journey, "Perverts" feels more like a character study. It’s stagnant in a way that feels intentional. It captures a moment of being stuck in a bad situation and realizing you don’t actually want to leave.
That nuance is what separates her from other "sad girl" artists. There is no moralizing here. She isn't telling you that the situation is wrong; she’s just describing how it feels. It’s reportage from the fringes of society.
How to Fully Experience the Ethel Cain Aesthetic
If you're just discovering perverts by ethel cain, you can't just play it on your phone speakers while doing the dishes. You'll miss the point. To truly "get" what she's doing, you have to lean into the atmosphere.
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- Listen at night. This is non-negotiable. The song is designed for the dark.
- Use good headphones. The low-end frequencies in the production provide the "dread" that makes the song work.
- Read the lyrics. Don't just let the sound wash over you. Pay attention to the imagery of flies, rot, and skin.
- Look into the visuals. Cain’s cinematography—she directs most of her own visuals—is essential to the experience.
The Future of the Ethel Cain Universe
What comes next? Hayden has hinted at a "B-sides" album and a proper sophomore LP that continues the story of the Cain family. perverts by ethel cain serves as a bridge between the girl we met on the first record and the powerhouse artist she is becoming.
She's currently working out of her home studio (which, true to her brand, is often rumored to be an old church or a secluded house in the woods). This isolation is her secret weapon. By staying away from the Los Angeles or Nashville "hit factories," she maintains a sound that is unpolluted by trends.
The impact of this song on the indie scene cannot be overstated. It has empowered a new wave of artists to embrace "ugly" sounds and taboo subjects. It’s a reminder that music doesn't have to be pleasant to be beautiful.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans and New Listeners
If this world fascinates you, don't stop at just one song. Here is how to dive deeper into the rabbit hole:
- Explore the Southern Gothic Literary Canon: To understand the themes of perverts by ethel cain, read Flannery O’Connor or Cormac McCarthy. Their influence on Hayden’s writing is massive.
- Check the SoundCloud Archives: Before she was Ethel Cain, she released music under names like White Silas. Many of the themes found in "Perverts" have been brewing for years in these early, lo-fi experiments.
- Watch the Live Performances: Search for her 2024-2025 festival sets. The way she performs this song—often dropping to her knees or engaging in haunting, slow-motion movements—adds a whole new layer of meaning.
- Support Independent Vinyl: If you can find a physical copy of her work, buy it. The tactile experience of holding the lyric sheets and seeing the photography is a huge part of the "Ethel Cain" project.
The genius of perverts by ethel cain lies in its refusal to be "easy." It’s a difficult song for difficult times. It asks you to sit with your own discomfort, to acknowledge the "pervert" or the "outcast" within yourself, and to find the melody in the decay. Whether she’s singing about God, death, or the back seat of a car, Ethel Cain remains the most honest voice in music today.