The new release, Perverts, by Ethel Cain is a huge win for experimental music everywhere. Known for her droney emotional pop songs, Cain is no stranger to long format music and deep subject matter. However, the new record pushes boundaries for a vast number of her fans, simultaneously alienating them through sounds they are not used to hearing and also enticing them toward expanding their understanding of music.
Although there are some soft but heavy-hitters on the record, like “Vacillator,” (meaning indecisive) or “Amber Waves,” there’s more dead air and noise maker sounds than I’ve ever heard on a pop album before.
“Houseofpsychoticwoman” stands out as story-like, truly an expression of mental strife. It consists of swirling noise over textural & tonal drones, accompanied by an almost monologue-like confession of love. Like the rest of the album, even through repetition the song evades rhythm and melody, calling into question what qualifies something as a song.
“Perverts” is such a minimal work that one has to truly follow along, and even read along with the muffled spoken word sections in order to get the full experience.
Within the poetry of it all, Cain digs deeper into themes that she has covered in her previous works, such as shame, power, and religious fundamentalism.
Alongside dada, repetitive and mantra-like writing in the more ambient, experimental tracks, Cain paints vivid imagery in the more melodic songs as well. “Shame is sharp, and my skin gives so easy,” and the lyrics on “Vacillator,” give such a powerful statement through the imagery, delivering a message of pure artistic intent.
As with all great art, this album garners a visceral reaction. Whether someone is a pop fan who was in it for the power ballads or a seasoned veteran of their local DIY noise music scene, Cain has a vice-grip over the listener’s attention.
Rating: 8.0/10
