Herb Sundays 12: Ethel Cain
[May 2nd, 2021] - A cracking, country-inflected mix from haunted but tough alter ego of Florida-born singer, songwriter, and producer Hayden Anhedönia.
Herb Sundays 12: Ethel Cain (Apple / Spotify). Art by Cina. Photo by Jessica Lehrman.
[May 2nd, 2021]
"Pink skies glowing over the loneliest road in America, going anywhere but here." - @mothercain on her mix.
In an era where the concept of pure authenticity is considered the only path forward in music, it's compelling to see artists who embrace the role of the alter ego as central to their work.
Singer, songwriter, and producer Hayden Anhedönia makes music as the haunted yet impervious Ethel Cain. The origin story rests on her Baptist childhood in rural Florida, forging a new identity in the process, as both a reckoning and triumph over her demons.
When a friend introduced me to her Golden Age EP in early 2020, I was immediately hooked. I didn’t know the general scene from which she emerged but the gothic theatrics reminded me of something akin to classic Concrete Blonde.
The playlist doesn’t disappoint, of course, hitting marks across the commercial and genre spectrum, from CD jukebox country to hissing electronica. Sometimes we need to remember Bob Dylan was a persona too.
