Review of Ethel Cain's "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You" - Exquisitely Heartfelt Vulnerability
In the world of ambient, southern gothic-style music, Ethel Cain stands out as a unique and captivating voice. The Florida-born, Southern Baptist-raised record producer and model, who goes by the name Hayden Silas Anhedönia in her personal life, has been making waves in the music industry with her distinctive sound and powerful lyrics.
Her latest album, Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You, serves as a lyrical prequel to her critically acclaimed debut studio album Preacher’s Daughter. The album, released in 2025, continues to explore the deeply personal and narrative-driven themes that characterize her work. While there are limited detailed critical reviews publicly available yet on the reception of this album, it is anticipated within her cult following context to be another significant milestone in her career.
Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You is a feverish, dreamlike project that finishes beautifully. The album features a departure from her previous work, with the final track, Tempest, being a 10-minute ballad, and Waco, Texas being a 15-minute swirling chunk of disembodied rock. The album's opening track, I'll Always Love You, Janie, resembles a late-1990s post-rock instrumental group, while Willoughby’s Theme is audibly inspired by Laura's Theme from the Twin Peaks soundtrack.
Ethel Cain's music and lyrics heavily reflect themes of evangelical trauma, southern Gothic storytelling, and personal identity struggles. Her persona and career are notable for their rootedness in her identity as a transgender artist from a conservative evangelical background, translating complex emotional and cultural narratives into her music. She has also gained recognition and support from notable artists and public figures, including Caroline Polachek and endorsements such as featuring on Barack Obama's 2022 playlist.
Anhedönia has mentioned that she sometimes feels eclipsed by her own character, stating that she keeps figuring out where Ethel Cain ends and she begins. Channelling personal feelings into an alter ego can take pressure off an artist, but it can also create problems that were not initially realised. Regardless, Ethel Cain's unique blend of genres, including country, folk-pop, shoegaze, and ambient music, continues to resonate with her growing fan base, with her Dublin shows always being straight sell-outs.
Ethel Cain's musical evolution began around 2017, releasing early EPs like Carpet Bed (2019) and Golden Age (2019), before gaining wider recognition. Her debut studio album Preacher’s Daughter (2022) was critically acclaimed and marked her as the first transgender artist to hit the US Billboard 200 top ten after a vinyl release in 2025. Her second studio album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You, continues to push the boundaries of her distinctive sound, cementing her place as a trailblazer in the music industry.
[1] Artist Profile: Ethel Cain [2] Interview with Ethel Cain [3] Ethel Cain on Barack Obama's Playlist [5] Ethel Cain's Billboard Success
- Ethel Cain's music and fashion choices, often rooted in her southern Gothic style and pop-culture references, have made her a compelling figure not only in the music industry but also in the realm of lifestyle and fashion-and-beauty.
- As a trailblazer in the music industry, Ethel Cain's quality music, which embodies a unique blend of genres such as country, folk-pop, shoegaze, and ambient, along with her captivating performances, has made her a staple figure in the world of entertainment and music.
