On January 9, 2025, Christmas came early for the cool kids; I am not talking about Letterboxd Wrapped, but the release of Hayden Anhedönia, also known as Ethel Cain’s, album Perverts. Since her announcement in early October 2024, many of her fans took to social media outlets with their anticipations, hopes, and theories as to what this project would bring to the artistry of Anhedönia. With the little blurbs of information on her project released throughout time, Anhedönia prefaced that this LP would not be an addition to the Preacher’s Daughter storyline, but would, of course, be made in her dark-southern-gothic-baptist image. This album was Anhedönia’s way to reclaim her art after the “irony epidemic” of Preacher’s Daughter (Stereogum), where people took this album about sexual exploitation, toxic relationships, and death, and made it a meme. In the inevitability of pop culture and its cons, Anhedönia created Perverts, a project filled with ambient sounds, drone noise, and minimal yet powerful melodies. From its taboo title and extremely long tracks/instrumentals, it garnered a lot of surprise from its listeners and some even expressed their dislike of the project, but once again, this was not for the people.

The introduction to Perverts begins with the title track “Perverts” which samples from the hymn, “Nearer, My God, To Thee”. When the melodious chorus stops it brings in a verberated low tone which seems to be Anhedönia’s voice repeating “Heaven has forsaken the Masturbator”, priming the audience with the theme of lust, alienation, and the imperfect human condition seen throughout this project. Her voice continuously bleeds to an almost drowned-out noise of breathing with ringing in the background and obscure inclusions of a low bell sound which could be straight out of an Ari Aster movie.
The next song “Punish”, which was the first single from this album, furthers the theme of love or lust. The narrator is singing about their sexual deviance and their guilt for it, even though it is evident that what is punishing them is not out of love, but lust. The lyrics “he was a natural Plauche, saying ‘You won’t forget this,’” is a direct tie to the narrator’s life as a pedophile and Anhedönia’s original concept for Perverts, which was “a character study about different “perverts,” inspired by reading Knockemstiff. a sex addict, a pedophile, an arsonist, a sedative addict, etc.” (Tumblr 2024). She further explains that “Punish” and “Amber Waves” are the only pieces from this work that did not change with her concept change.
Track 3, “Housofpsychoticwomn”, one of my favorites of this project, is a 13-minute piece that begins with the repetition of “I love you” until it bleeds to nothingness. Soon, it is replaced with the repetition of an illegible sound that could sound like someone saying “NO NO NO” or “HELP ME HELP ME HELP ME,” contrasted by the low ambient melodies. This song keeps to its name with its juxtaposing sounds, the murmurs of the narrator’s obsession with being loved, and its uncomfortable length, which made me feel like I was in literal psychosis. Furthermore, this song is an exploration of what love is, in the eyes of a human – an imperfect, lowly being, yearning for the love of God. “Housofpsychoticwomn” which is missing the E and A can be interpreted as a symbol for Adam and Eve (Genius), the first sinners who were cursed for their indulgence. The lyrics constantly refer to the Bible and the double-edged sword of being loved.

Love and lust are further explored in track 4, “Vacillator” which means, one who hesitates out of fear. This piece is composed of percussion and Anhedönia’s voice singing about the vacillator’s indecisiveness, the compulsion to fulfill their lover’s lustrous wants, and their alienation from people and life. Track 5, “Onanist” which is a literal connection to the motif of masturbation, opens with a simple piano track with eerie ambient melodies. The intro lyrics, “They found me in a long, long wood” brings the audience to Anhedönia’s Tumblr post “A Consequence of Audience” which talks about perversion and divinity, isolation, human suffering, and the journey to find love, in a spiritual and or physical sense.
Following “Onanist,” “Pulldrone” the longest track on this project creates a geometrical image of the life cycle, going in between devotion and defiance. Anhedönia uses this track to talk about her ideology of “The Ring, the Great Dark, and Proximity to God” which she speaks about and alludes to throughout this album. This song, specifically, was the hardest for many listeners to get through due to its length, but I applaud it for its immersion into the pushes and pulls of life – the urge to comply but also resist. The droning noise of track 6 is contrasted with the piano-focused introduction of track 7, “Etienne”. This song focuses its majority on a somber melody with soft strums of the guitar, which then leads to an outro that Anhedönia sampled from an old sermon that stood out to her. This song serves as a meditation and moment for the listener to reflect on the pain of life and the acceptance of it. Once the sermon excerpt finishes, the next track, “Thatorchia” is practically a jumpscare with its blaring rings, reverb, and ambient noises. It shows the experimental side of Anhedönia’s artistry as she blends harsh sounds with her vocals. Although the interpretation is up to the listener, there is an obvious, painful, and visceral tone to this song.

Lastly, the final 11-minute track, “Amber Waves” revisits Anhedönia’s original concept of exploring the minds and perspectives of perverts she’s encountered in the book Knockemstiff. This track focuses on the idea of love as an addiction as the narrator is vocalizing their addiction to their “amber waves,” an allusion to drugs. The lyrics in verse 1, “Cause the Devil I know, is the Devil I want,” refer to the narrator’s awareness of their lifestyle but their attachment to it. There is a strong nihilistic tone to this song, and with its grieving melodies, this emotion practically penetrates the listeners. The narrator’s addiction has ruined their lifestyle as they now can not appreciate their life without the feeling of being with their “amber waves”.
The album closes with the feeling of nothingness, returning the listener to a life of contradiction, guilt, and yearning. The different explorations of what love is, in a non-typical way, such as drugs, sex, or an obsession with something else, Perverts look into the perversion built within humanity and the yearning to satiate one’s life. It is understandable if this project was not one’s cup of tea, but remember, it was not MEANT to be just a cup of tea.
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