This is what the critics are saying about trans artist Ethel Cain’s new album Perverts

Perverts, the new explicitly-not-an-album nine-song project from trans goth-rock artist Ethel Cain, is finally here. 

After the release of her 2022 ambient alt-pop debut Preacher’s Daughter, singer-songwriter Ethel Cain (birth name Hayden Silas Anhedönia) acquired an inordinately large number of fans, far more than she had ever anticipated, or even wanted.

Countless music lovers – and, sadly, social media dwellers – lined the pews of her altar, breathlessly awaiting details of her next macabre offering. Now, the 26-year-old musician, sometimes referred to by her loyalists as Mother Cain (whether she wants that moniker or not), has slammed the church doors shut: her new project Perverts isn’t for the casual fan, or for those hungry for a neat package of Tumblr-core indie ballads.

At least, that’s what the reviews are suggesting, anyway. Described as “no easy listen” and “not an album for the faint-hearted”, Perverts moves away from the ethereal Americana of her debut, and heads deep, deep underground. As The Guardian’s chief music critic Alexis Petridis puts it, much of the album is “essentially a wall of obliterating noise”.

That’s far from to say critics aren’t lapping up the lo-fi droning, drum-free lethargy of Perverts. Petridis’ favourable three-star review, in fact, is the harshest criticism it sees.

Describing Perverts as “not for everybody”, Matthew Kim for The Line of Best Fit writes that listening to the album is “an experience unlike any” he’s had as a music critic.

“Anhedönia’s newest project might not have the rich lyricism or structure of Preacher’s Daughter – in fact, it barely has lyrics or a structure – but it paints an even richer picture than the debut,” Kim concurs, adding that its “punishingly long repetition” will “rewire your brain”.

“It’s music made by a human being, intended for human beings, about losing one’s humanity in order to transcend it. By nature, that makes it immensely incomprehensible, scary and challenging, even difficult to get through for the uninitiated,” he adds, still stamping the record with an impressive eight out of 10 score.

A similarly favourable, four-star write-up in NME by Kristen S. Hé describes Perverts as having “none of the musical catharsis or divine absolution of Preacher’s Daughter“, but the author adds that “it would be false to say that its bleakness is absolute”.

“Casual fans may not last even three minutes. But for those who are willing to sit with its discomfort, Perverts reveals hidden depths.”

In possibly the album’s most complimentary review, Vicky Greer for Clash dubs it “exceptional”, alongside a near-perfect nine out of ten score.

Though Greer describes the record as “unsettling” and “deeply disturbing”, they suggest that it’s likely to be the most extraordinary release of the year. 

“In 90 minutes, there isn’t a moment of silence. All the way through you’re met with the distant whoosh of electrical noise or disconcerting scrapes and footsteps, punctuated with feedback and strange frequencies,” Greer writes.

“Perverts is not an easy album to listen to by any definition – but that never takes away from how exceptional it is.”

In a Stereogum review branding Perverts as the publication’s album of the week, Brad Sanders agrees that the record pushes as far away from the boundaries of Preacher’s Daughter as possible, calling it “a defiant allegiance to the least accessible aspects of the Ethel Cain sound”.

“It’s hard to know what the many fans who made Ethel Cain into a niche pop star will make of Perverts,” Sanders continues.

“Some of them will surely be pushed outside of their comfort zones and learn that they’re interested in drone, ambient music, and slowcore. Others will jump ship.”

Ethel Cain’s Perverts is streaming now.