The genre alchemist’s new EP is a raw and rousing labor of love.
Photo by @faun.fawn
There is a fervent freshness radiating from the artistry of Ethel Cain. Exploring emotional themes of love, longing, and loss, her catalog of bedroom elegies exudes an aura that transcends the gloomy confines of emo. From her intricate release Carpet Bed to a live performance alongside Nicole Dollanganger and Infinity Crush, the artist formerly known as White Silas has spent 2019 perpetually evolving. Defining tragedy with riveting lyricism and lulling melodies, Golden Age is a culmination of this progression, immersing the listener in a fiery yet tranquil narrative of emotional turmoil and unrequited passions.
A simmering amalgamation of genres, the EP pieces together elements of hazy dream pop, chamber folk, shoegaze, and a small splash of the snappy drum patterns synonymous with current trends in trap based production. While predominantly self-constructed, Cain links up with long-time friend Yah Wav for production on “Knuckle Velvet.” Having collaborated on past projects, the pair share unparalleled chemistry as her silken notes glide seamlessly over Wav’s harmonious chord progressions. The release’s sole vocal feature appears on “Lillies” courtesy of Mercy Necromancy, whose own brand of elysian musings meshes flawlessly with Cain’s as they craft an ambient ode to altruistic adoration.
Throughout its runtime, Golden Age paints vivid images packed full of eerie sentimentality, exemplified by her ability to convey evocative lyrical vulnerability while maintaining a light-hearted semblance. On “Casings,” the soothing crackle of a fireplace in the background softens the racy utterance, “Does she smile the way I do when she has you in her mouth?” into a blissful serenade. Themes of rebellion also come to the forefront of the macabre ballad, “Head In The Wall,” through resonating cries of “Shooting up our old school when we get bored of shooting up / Fuck the cops, and fuck god, and fuck this town for ruining us.”
Originally scheduled to drop in November, the project was pushed back by a month, with a stripped-down piano rendition of the title track released as a precursor to the record. Resting at the end of the EP, the full-instrumental version provides a sense of closure to the tape. An anthemic hymn of reflection, the track bleeds wistfulness through the impassioned declaration, “I’m so beautiful and it’s wasted on me / Because the taste reminds me, I hate what love’s turned out to be.” Arriving at the dawn of a new decade, the record signifies the blossoming of an innovative era; that is, the Golden Age, guided by Ethel Cain, the woman with the golden voice.