Manna listens to: Perverts by Ethel Cain
slowcore/dark ambient
ANOTHER NAME CHANGE. LEMME KNOW IF I HAVE TO RETAIN THIS ONE AS IT IS. BUT WELL HERE WE GO.
Recently, Ethel Cain dropped this bombshell of a post. And of course, it was funny because I saw a post a few ages ago about how we conveniently forgot about Luigi Mangione after thirsting hard on him for a few weeks.
Trump is back. It was not a fun sight. You had Melania Trump And Usha Vance dress up like it’s Barbenheimer, Trump being firm about his stance on gender and Elon doing whatever the fuck this is.
It makes sense. Of course Hayden Anhedönia had thoughts about this. One of the cardinal sins in Christianity is Greed. But America champions this greed. What we just saw is billionaires showering praises for a rich man, who treats the country as disposable. It’s almost a clear statement. Is Religion nothing but a mean to suppress the commoners so that they can be taken advantage of by the upper ones?
America was a country built upon an almost puritan sense of belief. This country had its clergies burn woman, the misfits and the oppressed ones in the name of land. It is almost as if god is just an existence that doesn’t hold any meaning to its believers, except for the ones who can use it to seal the powers for themselves.
Ethel Cain has been in the business for a long time at this point. Her album Preacher’s Daughter was critically well acclaimed and can be seen as a starting point for her discography. The usage of Gothic imagery in her videography, and the themes of religious abuse, toxic relationships, the American dream all make the record a haunting listen. The thing is Ethel Cain’s works are extremely personal and dark.
We began off with the title track, a 12 minute track, that is mostly a sample, that is succeeded by the voice of Ethel Cain recites “Heaven has forsaken the Masturbator”. Welcome to the world of Ethel Cain, its dingy, dark, almost like a lost horror film from the 70s.
Now, let’s talk about the body of sound, there is enough space in this album, that a full blown listening experience on speakers evoke a cinematic experience. This is exactly what Anhedonia wants her audience to be looking forward to.
Of course, if you are into Industrial acts, this record surely gets you well. It’s single Punish is one of the only songs that in my opinion feels approachable. Of course, it starts smooth, before eclipsing in a crescendo. The lyrics narrate the tale of a pedophile indulging in a sort of self harm ritual, and the intensity of the track really builds up to the tension, one feels and it’s almost hopelessness.
Many of the tracks, like Onanist and Etienne, while indulge in heavy lo-fi and piano, there is almost a sense of dread, due to the elements of surveillance latched into it. One gripe, is the album can really get on your nerves, because its that long. And yes, it is still worth the listen. But if you are depressed, it might trigger you a bit.