She's performing on the Kelly Clarkson show next week!
Just kidding, I made it up
Ethel Cain - Willoughby Tucker, I Will Always Love You (Aug 2025)
- Thread starter Jonathan27
- Start date
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Willoughby Tucker is the boy from "A House In Nebraska". The new album is canon to the Ethel Cain universe because it's the b-sides/prequel to Preacher's Daughter.
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It's a little confusing because "Ethel Cain" is a character not just Hayden's stage name. Preacher's Daughter is a story about her life and death. Hayden intended to make Ethel's story a generational trilogy, with an album about Ethel's mother and then her grandmother (I think). Willoughby Tucker, I Will Always Love You is a prequel to Preacher's Daughter, chronicling Ethel meeting the love of her life, whose departure sets the scene for Preacher's Daughter. This isn't an entry in the trilogy itself, so you could look at like a spin off.
Perverts isn't associated with the Ethel narrative at all. edit: She has a Soundcloud side project called Ashmedai where she posts more drone and ambient stuff, so mentally I've associated Perverts with that more than Ethel.
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I don’t know, I’m probably just cynical / perpetually tired and old these days *and* I am a big believer in artists having and being able to execute complex visions (it’s fucking difficult) but sometimes this talk about what connects to what and how in The ECU when the music itself doesn’t require or even particularly suggest a take of that kind just…makes me weary. But I’m boring now and have less time for it, I get it. It’s innocent online fun.
The music just sounds incredibly atmospheric and vibey to me and the need for her work to be compartmentalised into sections and chapters and bits - even when it’s her own suggestion/doing - seems so counter to what it sounds like (to me! And I how I experience actually listening to it). I kinda also just like the idea of being able to draw my own conclusions. *end rant at cloud*
Tldr I’m very much looking forward to this album, tour, and hopefully the even bigger profile (away from weirdo tiktok kids ideally) she definitely deserves.
The music just sounds incredibly atmospheric and vibey to me and the need for her work to be compartmentalised into sections and chapters and bits - even when it’s her own suggestion/doing - seems so counter to what it sounds like (to me! And I how I experience actually listening to it). I kinda also just like the idea of being able to draw my own conclusions. *end rant at cloud*
Tldr I’m very much looking forward to this album, tour, and hopefully the even bigger profile (away from weirdo tiktok kids ideally) she definitely deserves.
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It definitely doesn't require it, but I would argue it's different to other artists attempts at world building because all the music is written from the perspective of a character. It is a concept first before it is an album or anything else. I would compare it to Janelle Monáe's Metropolis series before anything Halsey, Beyoncé or The Weeknd are doing.
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For what it's worth, she said fairly recently that people are more than welcome to do that regardless of where her inspiration for the music comes from, so it's not like it's necessarily a requirement to follow the Lore.
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I've never felt like it's required for any artist, to be honest. I'm always sort of mystified by people who get caught up in it one way or another; either they find it distracting or they live by it. But I can listen to the album and acknowledge where it came from and also empathize and relate to some of what she sings about feeling. Sometimes I just like getting lost in the sound as well. It's no different than a movie or a book.
I feel quite confident in Ethel being an artist that's actually gonna deliver the trilogy, because like you guys have mentioned, the story foundations have already been created. Also for me it’s kind of a bonus, another layer to the songs. I’ve always loved ~lore~ when it comes to music, it can also be interesting to compare your own interpretations to it. For me it doesn’t detract from my own meanings to certain songs. I can’t wait for this album, suddenly August feels so far away.
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It’s also not visually based like a lot of trilogies in pop, which is what I would argue is what makes these projects so hard to follow up on because labels don’t want to give money out and sponsors want everything homogenized and safe or else they won’t back it. It’s a lot easier to do this sort of thing when everything is quite literally within the music. That’s why I compare what she’s doing to Janelle’s albums, because the Metropolis series is also written within the music. There are some visuals, but they aren’t really story based, more-so vignettes that happen within the world. But there’s also a novel as well! So it can absolutely be done if you’re dedicated to making it happen, and it doesn’t always have to be done through music. It’s been a nearly 20 year project that Janelle has been working on. I expect it to be the same with Hayden.
Yeah, pretty much this. Ethel seems dedicated and don’t want big labels interfering. This will take time because she will do it independently. If she changes her mind and scraps the trilogy? Then so be it, but she seems quite invested in the story. Didn’t she also mention that she wants it to take time to get more experience herself?
But to another point, she mentioned her side projects (like Perverts) being ways to let her experiment in between the trilogy and larger albums, exploring sounds she can refine for her proper albums etc. I’m expecting (and hoping for) Amber Waves will be the sonic blueprint for the new album that she will expand upon.
he/him/basic cishomo
I randomly started chuckling about this post again. My mind on some level is still expecting to see this on YouTube in a month. I'd like to think Kelly and Hayden would jive.
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I was teaching so nothing left for Glasgow presale. These on sale times are essential worker phobic. does an art teacher count as one of those?
