Ethel Cain - Thoroughfare - Live Performance | Vevo DSCVR Artists To Watch 2023
If you want emotional depth and sweeping grandeur from rock music, seek out Ethel Cain’s ‘Preacher’s Daughter.’ The singer-guitarist’s debut album crackles from the jump. “American Teenager” is a portrait of small towns where football, Jesus, and “putting too much faith in the make believe” are important, and the artsy outsiders are relegated to the bleachers. But Cain, who also goes by Hayden Silas Anhedönia, is the main character here. The scope of this ambitious songwriting further widens when the “Baba O’Riley”-tinged “American Teenager” transitions into “A House In Nebraska.” For nearly three minutes, only spine-tingling piano chords slice through the echo of her gritty voice. Sparse. Raw. Powerful. The Joanna Newsome disciple credits this moment as a euphoric breakthrough that lit the path to the entire project. Her ‘Inbred’ EP was famously assembled in a church basement. And although ‘Preacher’s Daughter’ was crafted more meticulously, a subversive religious zeal haunts “Nebraska” and several of its other tracks. Some outlets have uttered “pop” as a descriptor for Cain’s work, but don’t be surprised at the music’s moments of challenging dissonance, a la Sonic Youth. Recent media champions include Pitchfork, Paper Magazine, and the New York Times, whose profile charted the Tallahassee born singer’s complex relationship with her Southern Baptist heritage, as well as her affinity for small town life (these days she resides in Alabama, purchasing a pickup truck with her record-deal money). Hand-drawn tattoos dot her hairline as well as the rest of her body; earlier this year, Cain made public her trans identity. This artistry is a reminder not to judge a book by a cover. In fact, just skip the judgements entirely. The singer told us she’s excited for fans to hear her ATW 2023 performances “in a way they haven’t heard before on the record.” All that’s left to do is turn the speaker up and listen.
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Executive Producer: JP Evangelista
Executive Producer: Micah Bickham
Director: Skyler Brown
Creative Director: Chris Pereira
Director of Photography: Liam Reardon
Senior Line Producer: Jen Bates
Line Producer: Maddy Schmidt
Production Designer: Tyler Jensen
Steadicam Op: Kevin Jacobson
Assistant Camera: Josh Ruffner
Gaffer: Brandon Woodruff
Key Grip: Graeme Dempsey
Audio 1: Jake Bolles
Audio 2: Joshua Ben-Shoshan
Production Assistant: Wyatt Tiller
Format Design & Motion Supervisor:
Sydney Emery
Artist To Watch Graphic Design Lead:
Charlee Twigg
Graphic Design team:
Nick Resnicow, Keith Wright, Bee Clark, Hannah Damico, Aaran Thoofer, Ollie Freeman
Photography, WMA: Sam Leviton
Editor: Kevin Rose
Colorist, Forager: Jacob McKee
Producer, Forager: Maria Webb
Post Production Supervisor: Michael Colman
Project Manager: Dominic Siri
Music & Talent: Annie Shapiro + Cynthia Todd + Shannon Pires
#EthelCain #Thoroughfare #DSCVRATW2023
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