Hayden Anhedönia’s Ethel Cain alter ego came about as an escape from a particularly tortured teenhood. Raised in a strict and oppressive Southern Baptist community in Florida, and then at 16 coming out as gay, and later a trans woman, Anhedönia found release by imagining life as a superstar diva. Explaining to Pitchfork how she became Cain, she says: “That fanatical delusion was definitely the stepping stone and I’m just stubborn enough to have actually tried to make it happen.”
Anhedönia has released a string of increasingly impressive singles in recent years, including the dream-pop haze of Gibson Girl and the brilliantly noirish Lana Del Rey-isms of Crush. Her debut album, Preacher’s Daughter, released this month, is her boldest statement yet, taking in elements of alt-rock, gospel, pop (most notably on the standout American Teenager) and country, all refracted through a southern gothic prism, with recurring themes of small-town ennui, toxic relationships and death.
