Soooo apparently I missed a few things...? 😅If you want to watch the full 2.5 HOUR version of this reaction with no cuts its available on Patreon 😘 www.patreon.com/luscent
It's totally fine! I also listened to this album without knowing the story and concept of it. I'm so glad you liked it, it's definitely one of the top albums of 2022.
@@ryasa777 did someone say eat him up? fr though I would like to see a part two to this where he reads the Genius notes/gets into the lore a little bit more.
@@backup153 yeah it’s an ironic parody of the american dream and an anti war anthem, ofc it has sadness in it but she made it purposefully happy sounding so it has the duality of the happy facade but behind the content (lyrics) is rotten
my favorite thing about thoroughfare is that ethel is a VERY unreliable narrator and the song is actually her coping with the fact that she just got kidnapped. She didn't find a man that was sweet and fell in love with her, she was grabbed off the street and forced into the back of a pickup truck. the road trip they go on is actually him transporting her to california while pimping her out on the way. she has some form of stockholm syndrome and made up this story in her head of this man/her kidnapper offering her a ride and taking her to california.
Ethel/Hayden confirms this on her Tumblr and we can also figure this out through supplemental material. there is a missing poster and a witness saw a white man grab her and force her into a pickup truck, which is referenced at the end of the song.
I interpreted the “neighbor’s brother came home in a box, but he wanted to go so maybe it was his fault” as a reference to young American soldiers who go to war seeking glory and adventure and then never come back. I love this reaction because it’s comforting to know I’m not the only one crying through the whole album.
Preacher's Daughter is a definitive concept album. There are breakdowns on Genius and social media about the overarching story that Ethel is telling, and it is quite a harrowing and haunting story, detailing Ethel's escape from home and being on the run. Along the way she meets a boy and goes on a road trip with him across the West (Thoroughfare). But he isn't who she thought he was, and Ethel is eventually kidnapped and pimped out to men for money (Gibson Girl). This leads to her being drugged (Ptolemaea) and in an effort to escape, she is murdered and cannibalized by the same man, Isaiah is his name. The last few tracks on the album are Ethel singing from beyond the grave, saying her final goodbyes to her mother and the boy she always loved, her first love. Knowing all of this really makes this album hit much harder, and it is so shocking how Ethel managed to pull off such a detailed story with such genius. Amazing, flawless album!
The plot is very contrived and theirs huge gaps missing in the story between tracks. Definently not flawless. Ethel did say though the album was originally much much longer but several songs were cut due to time so hopefully we get the story as it was intended and not just the very basic beat points
@@cocteaupvssylice I believe Hayden herself said Dale is a reference to Dale Earnhardt, with NASCAR fans in the American south having several very popular sayings like “raise hell, praise Dale”
i was laughing so hard when he said "she found a really passionate relationship" listening to Strangers, like no girl, she was ate, like, she didn't ate, she was aten, like eating ate
Maybe unpopular opinion, but I loved watched you try to decipher these songs without knowing the official story of the album!! You had so many cool perspectives on the songs that I hadn't thought of, and I think it's really what art's about when there's a very specific meaning behind it, but we can still derive our own interpretation that feels more personal
i feel like the album is very descriptive yet she lets you wonder about the meaning of her words, i love that she gave us all the details but i do think it’s more of like an extra to our experience and interpretation
@@raec7891 that's the key to writing a strong concept album, the songs need to be able to stand on their own outside the context of the album and Ethel Cain absolutely succeeded. My only complaint about the album is that several important story beats would be nearly impossible to decipher without outside information from Twitter or Genius. (Specifically how Ethel's boyfriend before Isaiah is shot in a failed bank robbery, and literally all of the character names for that matter are never mentioned)
I too learned about the whole story much later after having started listening to it and love how the lyrics work so well on their own without the conceptual backstory. A+ songwriting 👌
@@animal1439 but i don’t think she intended you to know every detail from the lyrics, i think the insights are just that details that help you see the story in the lyrics clearer. also i’m pretty sure she’s releasing a side b this year which will serve as a prequel to preachers daughter.
Ptolemaea is a reference to a place in hell that Dante writes about that is specifically for people who betray guests in their home. Very relevant to the ending of this album.
So basically, Ethel Cain is a character. She was raised in southern American tradition(Family Tree Intro, American Teenager, House in Nebraska, Western Nights), ran away(Family Tree, Hard Times), fell in love( Thoroughfare), then was sold for s3x at a strip club(Gibson Girl), drugged(Ptolomaea), murdered(August Underground, Televangelism, Sun Bleached Flies), eaten and necrophilsed (Strangers). It’s so cool tho. Edit:Read the About section in the Genius lyrics. Edit 2: Also, Ethel herself has said that her transness doesn’t really have much impact on the story itself, but it is also pretty open to interpretation
i love how you were able to draw a different interpretation of ethel's story without looking at any official explanation. to me that's a testament of truly substantial songwriting - Hayden made it descriptive and lore-rich but also ambiguous enough to resonate among first-time listeners.. it's such a powerful concept album
I don't see any comments explaining the album/songs as of yet so i'll just give a brief synopsis for anyone curious, pls feel free to add on any details if I missed any under this comment because this is all very unstructured and off the top of my head: The album is pretty much a linear story/soundtrack to an upcoming movie from the perspective of a fictional character, Ethel Cain. It's part of a trilogy of albums, the next being Preacher's Wife, and the following being Preacher's Mother. This *isn't* an autobiographical album, as the artist (Hayden) has a very good relationship with her parents, and her mother even comments under reactions like this sometimes, but the themes surrounding religion, acceptance, family and Southern American imagery are very authentic. You can follow the story of the album by going to the Genius page and seeing the notes the artist made herself on every song, it's essentially lore to contextualise the song as there are characters which aren't named in the songs that have heavy involvement with the story. I'll include some important story beats below, but keep in mind they'll be very bastardised and you can find much more info on Genius/via Ethel's lives! Set in 1991, the album intro introduces the character of Ethel Cain, a teenager living in the South who lives with her mother, her father was a preacher and a beloved member of the local community who committed unalive 10 years. House of Nebraska is dedicated to Ethel's ex love, Willoughby, who left town before the events of the album. The house is where they spent their time in before he left. Ethel then describes a new relationship with her violent boyfriend Logan, who d*es after this song in a shootout with police after a bank robbery. From that point, Ethel is on the run from her hometown as she is wanted. She remembers and processes time when her father committed CSA against her (Hard Times), and contemplates on her sins and her hardened nature in Family Tree. After a while, she meets a new man, Isaiah, whom Thoroughfare is about. He offers her to explore the West in search for love. They begin a relationship which Ethel understands to be romantic, though he is not as he appears to be, as he starts pimping her out (Gibson Girl), feeding her drugs, and keeping her locked in his basement, where her hallucinations start speaking to her (Ptolemaea). She eventually manages to escape the basement and runs away into the forest, but Isaiah catches her and k*lls her (August Underground, a song which references the infamous snuff film of the same name). Her ascension to heaven is illustrated by Televangelism, and the last two songs are Ethel speaking from the afterlife. She takes a final look back on her life, her family, and her first love Willoughby in Sun Bleached Flies, and details the aftermath of her murder where she was cannibalised, gets an ironic revenge from her grave as she makes Isaiah sick from food poisoning, and says a final goodbye to her mother in Strangers.
It gets worse when you realise these songs aren’t necessarily about her but about people in films and stuff - this woman’s grasp of emotion and stories is insane. I’ll be devastated when the trilogy’s finished and she puts Ethel to bed.
It’s funny you were getting themes of war in American Teen bc when I heard the line “The neighbor’s brother came home in a box// But he wanted to go so maybe it was his fault” I interpreted that as he enlisted in the military and died in combat
From watching other reactions to that line I’ve come to the conclusion that the idea of “coming home in a box” being ubiquitous with dead soldier being brought home is uniquely American. It makes sense to me that other countries don’t have the same sort of idea around bringing dead soldiers home when you consider America is the only country in the world that has a broad intercontinental military presence. Americans have had to leave their country and fly across the world to fight in any war in the last 100 years. The idea of waiting for returning soldiers at airports being almost a community affair come from the Vietnam War I believe. Theres a photo I saw of war protesters and people who supported the war effort arguing while a box covered in an American flag is wheeled by behind them. Those sorts of photos were run in news papers and on the news I’d be surprised to meet an American who wouldn’t know what “coming home in a box” means even if they’ve never heard the phrase before it’s like burned into the American psyche.
it's funny bc the line that drives the war theme in that song home has yet to be mentioned: "another red heart taken by the American dream." Considering the time period the story is set in, as well as where it takes place, sacrificing your life for your country was the American dream. "Red heart" describes the youth, passion, and free spirit-ness of American teenagers. The song is a "fake pop song" (Hayden's words) and is filled with a lot of resentment.
@@suckfreak69 people listening for the first time with no prior info or backstory aren’t gonna pick that up on first listen because of the extremely heavy dark themes that you wouldn’t expect
I know. When he was listening to Western Nights and thought "Through shades of black and blue" meant Logan was fighting FOR her; I was instantly like "Oh you precious, innocent little bean. I hope the world protects you." lol 😅 But it was super interesting to hear the perspective of someone with a sunnier disposition take on such a dark concept album.
This is SUCH an interesting video. Your interpretations of the songs are so poignant and apt while also not being "correct" for the actual lore of the album - but honestly a lot of your commentary really touched me and gave me a deeper connection to the album than I had before. It really drives home how masterful Hayden is as a songwriter that you're able to pick up on the deepest themes of the songs while not knowing about the more "direct" plot of the album. The fact you were able to derive a message of hope and acceptance from such a bleak album is really interesting, and beautiful in its own right, and it's provoked a shift in my own perspective as well. Thanks for sharing!
Actually, I'm Hayden's mom. 😉 I have just now come across this reaction. I have been the one blessed by giving birth to her, but you are welcome all the same.
At some point I was just asking myself “should we really tell him?” 😭 Loved your raw reactions and also loved to see how someone who is not familiar with the lore would interpret this album!!
The production and arrangement of A House In Nebraska is so gorgeously wide open and airy, as someone who grew up a few miles outside of Nebraska in rural South Dakota, it sounds so much like that landscape in that regard.
Watching this really proves that Hayden can write a specific, detailed concept album and it can be interpreted by different people in very different ways, but bringing most of them to tears. I love watching these reaction videos. It shows her genius and her heart to be able to touch people the way she does. I've cried all over my town listening to her music since I found her, just months ago. 🩷
I've never cried so much consistently while listening to an album... each listen releases something more. I had "hard times" on loop yesterday all day. I love how you described it as being captured in a memory that's exactly what it feels like.
The album is split up into 2 halves. 2nd half beginning at thoroughfare and continuing a story through the rest of the songs. In thoroughfare, she meets this stranger and decides to travel with him. In gibson girl, she is being pimped out and drugged. In ptolemaea, she is starting to hallucinate because of all the drugs. In august underground, she attempts to escape but while doing so, she is captured by her boyfriend and is murdered by him. In televangelism, she is ascending to heaven. In sun bleached flies, she has arrived to heaven and is now reflecting on her family, her first love, etc. In strangers, she sings about her boyfriend putting her body in a freezer and slowly starts to cannibalise her but she gives him food poisoning which is why she sings 'if im turning in your stomach, am i making you feel sick?' and at the end of the song, she is singing to her mum telling her not to worry and that they'll see eachother in heaven when her mum makes it there.
The fact that you could process these songs after first listen is soo impressive! It took me a few listens to even comprehend the base meanings.. its very heavy at first. I love it so much
i know the fictional concept of Preacher's Daughter, but i love hearing your outside perspective on these songs, because in a lot of ways you're right about things. there's so much behind her songs and i feel like it's a massive testament to how so many people can relate to her music.
This album and dance fever were the best albums of 2022 and the fact they got to be together to sing live and connect in person made me bawl. Ethel’s story telling is phenomenal and different in the sense you can feel the humidity and sea the flies buzzing around the room and I don’t know how many other artists I can think of who can take the concept album and elevate it and make it her own on her debut no less. She’s just so brilliant and I will be listening to anything she releases
I just discovered Ethel today on You Tube quite by accident. I immediately fell in love with her voice, her writing skills, her musicianship and her Brechtian life, like something out of a John Steinbeck novel. She's a hardcore realist, but in a dreamy sort of way. I must say, I'm now a Ethel Cain fan.
I love your interpretation of the songs! I know the album has a cinematic narrative, but I think you got right to the heart of the lyrics, what makes them hit so hard. Especially Sun-Bleached Flies. I cried right along with you as you were explaining how you saw them 🥲
I just want to say I looove how much care and appreciation you show to everything you react to!! your approach to "reactions" is so refreshing, I love how even if I've heard something already, your thoughts add so much to the art
you're correct, she's referring to how she was eaten by him. lines where she speaks about how she never considered herself 'tough', talking about how tough the meat on her body is
by the way, I know it’s a concept album with a very defined narrative, but all of your interpretations are so real!! I love watching reactions where they don’t know anything about the narrative because that’s one of my favorite things about music in general - hearing all the different interpretations people find in songs! edited to add that I adore your interpretation of what she’s saying to her mom on the last track
as i made to the end, i started giggling because of the way you interpreted the second half of the album-it's actually almost completely opposite of what you were saying about them (mainly the last few) but then it made me sit and think about how it goes to show that hayden is a complete genius when it comes to songwriting. the way she writes her songs allows her to tell many different stories at once. even though she's telling the story of a character, it's just vague enough for you to be able to interpret the songs in your own way. i'm so glad that you were able to sit with the album without knowing the overarching story ahead of time-i did as well. after learning the lore of the album and the character 'ethel', then giving it a listen after, i experienced some sort of a mental whiplash. i had interpreted them so differently, and it took me a few more listens to follow the story as it was meant to be told. her songwriting and storytelling is easily top tier for me. it's insane that this is a debut album. it makes me so excited to experience the next 2 albums in the 'preacher's' trilogy!!
New viewer to your channel, but obsessed with Hayden/Ethel Cain 🥰 I loved your take on the album prior to knowing the storyline. My jaw hit the floor when I finally realized what happened, so I’d love to see a follow-up of your reaction now that you know the full story! 🫶🏻 you are a precious soul and I’m glad Ethel brought me to your page!
i love this man i love that he cried, because me fucking too dude. it is an insanely powerful album and its beautiful. i love that the wave of emotions was able to be felt by such a big amount of people
I heard this for the first time yesterday and this is also the very first time I can say I experienced a perfect album. I have never been so moved by a piece in my entire life. As someone who is going through their own journey of healing from religion, it was like hearing my own thoughts. The ending had so much hope and it makes me believe one day I will feel the same way. Even watching this video made me bawl my eyes out 😅
16:52 this reaction pretty much sums her music up for me lol. I loved this video and getting your real-time reactions to hearing her music for the first time.
honestly i love that you dont know the actual context of the album, it shows how universal ethel cain art is even for people who’s not in the esoteric sense
yeah just listened to this entire album a few days ago and am just now recovering…..I have recommended it to a couple friends but warned them to make sure they were in a good space. it’s not even like I wasn’t but felt as if I were hit by a train. because I listened to it recently I feel like your video popped up on my algorithm and I’m not ready to watch it LOL will place in my watch later for a different date. so beautiful. so heart wrenching. seriously don’t know if after your video I’ll ever be able to listen again.. PS. like I said I JUST listened to this album entirely three days ago and she’s playing in my city today. heavily considered buying tickets, but couldn’t after the serious emotional reaction I had. maybe next time…who knows!
videos like these are what i LIVE for! listening to music is such an escape for me, whether it’s in the lyrics, the harmonies, the beat. it’s just so great to see other people appreciating music in a similar way. and it makes listening to these songs in the future that much better. thank you!!!
THIS THIS THIS!!! Your Reacts have been what I have been searching for. Thank you for loving and understanding music. I wish you nothing but the most success for your music! :)
You have such wholesome interpretations of these songs! But you still understood a lot of the themes and vibes even when you were way off on interpretation 😅 I definitely had a thought through this like oh “he would die if he listened to Lingua Ignota” I have to admit I doubt you’d ever react to music like that but I would absolutely be here for it
I'm glad I'm not the only one terrified of Ptolemaea LOL. I love the whole album and concept sm, but that song puts me on the verge of an anxiety attack
Every time I listen to it I get goosebumps and it feels like my heart just drops. No matter how many times I hear it I still feel so sick and heartbroken hearing it.
I never knew much about Ethel outside of hearing her music and I was quite surprised when you mentioned she was trans, mostly because I knew her vocals and it stunned me to learn she transitioned in adulthood, but apparently she only came out at the age of 20. In case of transfemme people hormone replacement therapy in form of estrogen doesn't have an effect on the voice, so it must just be a mix of pure talent, training and great production, but her voice is not only stunning, but she also has a great range and unique tone that gives her such wonderful versatility without being bland or generic. She's just an astounding person, immensely creative and a dead brilliant storyteller. The beauty she puts in these heavy, painful topics doesn't cease to impress me.
She mentioned on her tumblr a while ago that she has a hormone imbalance and her voice didn’t change a lot after puberty, but she certainly does have undeniable talent regardless. ☺️
My fav song on the album is strangers and I love you but I can’t believe you didn’t pick up on the fact that she’s in a freezer, and her skins tough, and she’s all over his mouth, and he’s sick from it, and she’s restricted to a poloroid in EVIDENCE and her mom won’t see her until she’s dead. Song starts off with a sermon saying “with life comes the promise of death” and she says I grow cold thinking back to what I was told, don’t talk to strangers… she was warned and didn’t listen bc she trusted Isaiah and she grows cold at her self for being naive. But for someone that didn’t know the story for any of them the rest of the songs were really good guesses! You did great and I subscribed ❤
@@Luscent loved it! But idk that’s where my mind went when I first heard it because of the lyrics and context but I love your emotional reactions. This is the first video of yours I’ve seen. I watched the inbred one yesterday 🤪
One of my fave lyrics are: "I'm just a child but I'm not above violence. My mama raised me better than that" I feel fully seen with that song. But NOTHING has hit as hard as Ptolemaea, that song fucked me up.
a part of me wishes I had listened to the album without knowing the story behind it and relisten to it with the knowledge of the storyline like you did!!! your insights on the potential underlying meaning hiding behind the storyline was great to have
actually in “strangers” she’s dead, like “my mother sees me in on the side of a milk carton in Winn Dixie’s dairy aisle she’ll cry and wait up for me” or “ you’re so handsome when im over your mouth” “am i make you feel sick?” or “don’t think about it too hard or you’ll never sleep a wink at night again” and “Don’t worry ‘bout me and these green eyes, mama just know that i love you, and i’ll see you when you get here” he just killed her and eat her, and she said goodbye to her mother :(
I loved your reactions, its such a raw album so i really liked that you kept the energy calm and honest (if that makes sense) and it was really interesting seeing you see themes and meanings i missed 💛
In the 'House in Nebraska', the technique with the guitars is grittier, grungier. I get late 80's, early 90's Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Candlebox; for vocals, I'm also getting Paula Cole and Zola Jesus.
Let's gooo ❤❤ 2023 is starting pretty well with all the albums coming and all the albums you're reacting , too . I'm so excited for this year specially with all the artists that are rumored to release new music , so many artists are coming back 🤗🤗🤗 I can't wait for you to react to weyes bloods newest album and of course lizzy grant album 🌺🌸
When I first heard her, I thought of the Sound of The Cranberries - D O'Riordan. Haunting. I'm obsessed with Ethel Cain! I don't use the word "genius" often, if at all. But I do think Ethel C skirts those Realms.
Very well said, my friend! A searching and in-depth listen and appreciation of the enormous talent that she undoubtedly has. You certainly made me think a bit, I just love to hear other people's interpretations and takes on such beautiful and complex storytelling. Dig your point of view.👌👍🏻
I'd love to see you rank the best albums off 2022 and of all time... I always find new music through your channel and I'm thankful for that. I think your music taste is good for people like me who seek emotional experiences from it :)
just love how he interpreted the songs without realizing that the story being told was of this character hayden created. it completely gave me new ways to interpret this album that i love so much. great video! liked and subscribed! ❤
The fact you sensed that she had become “robotic and detached” in Gibson girl ?? You’re actually a genius! She was drugged and pimped out, so it’s highly likely so would detach from herself. It’s amazing that you got that just from the production.
Soooo apparently I missed a few things...? 😅If you want to watch the full 2.5 HOUR version of this reaction with no cuts its available on Patreon 😘 www.patreon.com/luscent
Please don’t eat him up in the comments 💀
Missed what? im assuming that she was eaten and killed ? idk videos not out yet
It's totally fine! I also listened to this album without knowing the story and concept of it. I'm so glad you liked it, it's definitely one of the top albums of 2022.
@@ryasa777 did someone say eat him up? fr though I would like to see a part two to this where he reads the Genius notes/gets into the lore a little bit more.
Heartfelt review of a beautiful album. Perhaps was best you misunderstood the final song initially, maybe it was too much
when he started getting emocional in “American Teenager” i was like girl that’s supposed the happy song, good luck 😭💀
it is? the lyrics show frustration tho
@@backup153 yeah it’s an ironic parody of the american dream and an anti war anthem, ofc it has sadness in it but she made it purposefully happy sounding so it has the duality of the happy facade but behind the content (lyrics) is rotten
@@raec7891 ya I definitely felt it. I also got really emotional from my initial listen so I also regarded this song as sad.
@@backup153 it’s what i call a sad bop lmao
American teenager makes me emotional too still
my favorite thing about thoroughfare is that ethel is a VERY unreliable narrator and the song is actually her coping with the fact that she just got kidnapped. She didn't find a man that was sweet and fell in love with her, she was grabbed off the street and forced into the back of a pickup truck. the road trip they go on is actually him transporting her to california while pimping her out on the way. she has some form of stockholm syndrome and made up this story in her head of this man/her kidnapper offering her a ride and taking her to california.
Ethel/Hayden confirms this on her Tumblr and we can also figure this out through supplemental material. there is a missing poster and a witness saw a white man grab her and force her into a pickup truck, which is referenced at the end of the song.
Omg everything I hear about this album gets more and more crazy!!
@@Luscentyep, and that’s why Gibson Girl is the next song
Hearing him talk about how romantic Thoroughfare is knowing what comes after is textbook dramatic irony LMAOO
Out of context of the narrative though Thoroughfare id quite romantic 😩
I interpreted the “neighbor’s brother came home in a box, but he wanted to go so maybe it was his fault” as a reference to young American soldiers who go to war seeking glory and adventure and then never come back. I love this reaction because it’s comforting to know I’m not the only one crying through the whole album.
the switch from thoroughfare to gibson girl narrative wise is so crushing
Preacher's Daughter is a definitive concept album. There are breakdowns on Genius and social media about the overarching story that Ethel is telling, and it is quite a harrowing and haunting story, detailing Ethel's escape from home and being on the run. Along the way she meets a boy and goes on a road trip with him across the West (Thoroughfare). But he isn't who she thought he was, and Ethel is eventually kidnapped and pimped out to men for money (Gibson Girl). This leads to her being drugged (Ptolemaea) and in an effort to escape, she is murdered and cannibalized by the same man, Isaiah is his name. The last few tracks on the album are Ethel singing from beyond the grave, saying her final goodbyes to her mother and the boy she always loved, her first love. Knowing all of this really makes this album hit much harder, and it is so shocking how Ethel managed to pull off such a detailed story with such genius. Amazing, flawless album!
The plot is very contrived and theirs huge gaps missing in the story between tracks. Definently not flawless. Ethel did say though the album was originally much much longer but several songs were cut due to time so hopefully we get the story as it was intended and not just the very basic beat points
@@JesusGomez-ob2qt she’s currently planning on releasing the b sides to the album some time this year most likely summer
@@adam-ll1yf the lyrics for the b-sides are up on Genius, so I imagine the B-sides should be coming out pretty shortly
and we could potentially get a movie from these preacher’s daughter albums makes me so excited
@@cocteaupvssylice I believe Hayden herself said Dale is a reference to Dale Earnhardt, with NASCAR fans in the American south having several very popular sayings like “raise hell, praise Dale”
“God loves you but not enough to save you” is one of the hardest-hitting lyrics I’ve ever heard, especially the way she sings it
❤
Sun Bleached Flies makes me cry every single time I listen to it. She's so real for saying God loves you but not enough to save you
it might be my favourite song of hers
😢❤
she got eated 😔
👁️👄👁️
💔💔💔
😭😭
i was laughing so hard when he said "she found a really passionate relationship" listening to Strangers, like no girl, she was ate, like, she didn't ate, she was aten, like eating ate
💀
Maybe unpopular opinion, but I loved watched you try to decipher these songs without knowing the official story of the album!! You had so many cool perspectives on the songs that I hadn't thought of, and I think it's really what art's about when there's a very specific meaning behind it, but we can still derive our own interpretation that feels more personal
i feel like the album is very descriptive yet she lets you wonder about the meaning of her words, i love that she gave us all the details but i do think it’s more of like an extra to our experience and interpretation
@@raec7891 that's the key to writing a strong concept album, the songs need to be able to stand on their own outside the context of the album and Ethel Cain absolutely succeeded. My only complaint about the album is that several important story beats would be nearly impossible to decipher without outside information from Twitter or Genius. (Specifically how Ethel's boyfriend before Isaiah is shot in a failed bank robbery, and literally all of the character names for that matter are never mentioned)
I too learned about the whole story much later after having started listening to it and love how the lyrics work so well on their own without the conceptual backstory. A+ songwriting 👌
@@animal1439 but i don’t think she intended you to know every detail from the lyrics, i think the insights are just that details that help you see the story in the lyrics clearer. also i’m pretty sure she’s releasing a side b this year which will serve as a prequel to preachers daughter.
I agree! She does find peace, through death in the end
Sun Bleached Flies literally helped me heal my religious trauma. Love her.
Me too love
Same
Ptolemaea is a reference to a place in hell that Dante writes about that is specifically for people who betray guests in their home. Very relevant to the ending of this album.
it would be perfect to see him revisiting this album after learning the true story behind it
pleasee that’d be so good
I want that too!
yeeesss
So basically, Ethel Cain is a character. She was raised in southern American tradition(Family Tree Intro, American Teenager, House in Nebraska, Western Nights), ran away(Family Tree, Hard Times), fell in love( Thoroughfare), then was sold for s3x at a strip club(Gibson Girl), drugged(Ptolomaea), murdered(August Underground, Televangelism, Sun Bleached Flies), eaten and necrophilsed (Strangers). It’s so cool tho.
Edit:Read the About section in the Genius lyrics.
Edit 2: Also, Ethel herself has said that her transness doesn’t really have much impact on the story itself, but it is also pretty open to interpretation
"maybe something happend in august" oh boy
i love how you were able to draw a different interpretation of ethel's story without looking at any official explanation. to me that's a testament of truly substantial songwriting - Hayden made it descriptive and lore-rich but also ambiguous enough to resonate among first-time listeners.. it's such a powerful concept album
I like doing that with all my reactions!! Music is in the listeners hands ❤️
I don't see any comments explaining the album/songs as of yet so i'll just give a brief synopsis for anyone curious, pls feel free to add on any details if I missed any under this comment because this is all very unstructured and off the top of my head:
The album is pretty much a linear story/soundtrack to an upcoming movie from the perspective of a fictional character, Ethel Cain. It's part of a trilogy of albums, the next being Preacher's Wife, and the following being Preacher's Mother. This *isn't* an autobiographical album, as the artist (Hayden) has a very good relationship with her parents, and her mother even comments under reactions like this sometimes, but the themes surrounding religion, acceptance, family and Southern American imagery are very authentic.
You can follow the story of the album by going to the Genius page and seeing the notes the artist made herself on every song, it's essentially lore to contextualise the song as there are characters which aren't named in the songs that have heavy involvement with the story. I'll include some important story beats below, but keep in mind they'll be very bastardised and you can find much more info on Genius/via Ethel's lives!
Set in 1991, the album intro introduces the character of Ethel Cain, a teenager living in the South who lives with her mother, her father was a preacher and a beloved member of the local community who committed unalive 10 years. House of Nebraska is dedicated to Ethel's ex love, Willoughby, who left town before the events of the album. The house is where they spent their time in before he left. Ethel then describes a new relationship with her violent boyfriend Logan, who d*es after this song in a shootout with police after a bank robbery. From that point, Ethel is on the run from her hometown as she is wanted. She remembers and processes time when her father committed CSA against her (Hard Times), and contemplates on her sins and her hardened nature in Family Tree. After a while, she meets a new man, Isaiah, whom Thoroughfare is about. He offers her to explore the West in search for love. They begin a relationship which Ethel understands to be romantic, though he is not as he appears to be, as he starts pimping her out (Gibson Girl), feeding her drugs, and keeping her locked in his basement, where her hallucinations start speaking to her (Ptolemaea). She eventually manages to escape the basement and runs away into the forest, but Isaiah catches her and k*lls her (August Underground, a song which references the infamous snuff film of the same name). Her ascension to heaven is illustrated by Televangelism, and the last two songs are Ethel speaking from the afterlife. She takes a final look back on her life, her family, and her first love Willoughby in Sun Bleached Flies, and details the aftermath of her murder where she was cannibalised, gets an ironic revenge from her grave as she makes Isaiah sick from food poisoning, and says a final goodbye to her mother in Strangers.
THERES GOING TO BE A MOVIE??? OMGGGGGGG
@@purplefaced_a book and a movie I’ve heard!
Iirc, Ethel ran away from Shady Grove after Logan was killed, and that’s why she has a pistol with her when she meets Isaiah in Texas.
@@ryasa777 wait what!?!?!? Has a release date been mentioned? I just found Ethel's music like 3 days ago and Im totally obsessed
@@animal1439 same! just discovered her about a week ago and can't get enough of her at the moment!
It gets worse when you realise these songs aren’t necessarily about her but about people in films and stuff - this woman’s grasp of emotion and stories is insane. I’ll be devastated when the trilogy’s finished and she puts Ethel to bed.
It’ll be a trilogy? So two more albums??
@@collins2404 Yes, preacher's wife and preacher's mother
@@vwho6430 I hope you’re serious! That sounds so exciting
@@collins2404 and potentially movies coming out of it
how's that worse? that's the beauty of hayden's mind
It’s funny you were getting themes of war in American Teen bc when I heard the line
“The neighbor’s brother came home in a box//
But he wanted to go so maybe it was his fault”
I interpreted that as he enlisted in the military and died in combat
From watching other reactions to that line I’ve come to the conclusion that the idea of “coming home in a box” being ubiquitous with dead soldier being brought home is uniquely American. It makes sense to me that other countries don’t have the same sort of idea around bringing dead soldiers home when you consider America is the only country in the world that has a broad intercontinental military presence. Americans have had to leave their country and fly across the world to fight in any war in the last 100 years. The idea of waiting for returning soldiers at airports being almost a community affair come from the Vietnam War I believe. Theres a photo I saw of war protesters and people who supported the war effort arguing while a box covered in an American flag is wheeled by behind them. Those sorts of photos were run in news papers and on the news I’d be surprised to meet an American who wouldn’t know what “coming home in a box” means even if they’ve never heard the phrase before it’s like burned into the American psyche.
Возможно подсознательно - сам надеялся на это. 😢
(rus)
Me too!!!!
it's funny bc the line that drives the war theme in that song home has yet to be mentioned: "another red heart taken by the American dream." Considering the time period the story is set in, as well as where it takes place, sacrificing your life for your country was the American dream. "Red heart" describes the youth, passion, and free spirit-ness of American teenagers. The song is a "fake pop song" (Hayden's words) and is filled with a lot of resentment.
you not understanding strangers at all is all i needed today
i love how he's getting such positive vibes when in reality it's a horrifying story
she ❤
i love how your reading of strangers is so wholesome and sweet but it's also so off track 😂 love the video!
i was thinking the same thing! the whole time i was like “uh…. it’s about her being eaten” 💀
@@albertisasheep He was so cute
@@albertisasheep lmao it's literally about cannibalism, necrophilia and him getting actually sick from eating her. 💀
@@suckfreak69 people listening for the first time with no prior info or backstory aren’t gonna pick that up on first listen because of the extremely heavy dark themes that you wouldn’t expect
I know. When he was listening to Western Nights and thought "Through shades of black and blue" meant Logan was fighting FOR her; I was instantly like "Oh you precious, innocent little bean. I hope the world protects you." lol 😅 But it was super interesting to hear the perspective of someone with a sunnier disposition take on such a dark concept album.
This is SUCH an interesting video. Your interpretations of the songs are so poignant and apt while also not being "correct" for the actual lore of the album - but honestly a lot of your commentary really touched me and gave me a deeper connection to the album than I had before. It really drives home how masterful Hayden is as a songwriter that you're able to pick up on the deepest themes of the songs while not knowing about the more "direct" plot of the album. The fact you were able to derive a message of hope and acceptance from such a bleak album is really interesting, and beautiful in its own right, and it's provoked a shift in my own perspective as well. Thanks for sharing!
Wholeheartedly agree
Me waiting for ethel’s mother to comment 👀👀 ps if ur reading this, thankyou for giving birth to her
same lol
Actually, I'm Hayden's mom. 😉 I have just now come across this reaction. I have been the one blessed by giving birth to her, but you are welcome all the same.
You saying that house in nebraska is just two repeating chords with loads of space between them has DEVASTATING RAMIFICATIONS for me personally
At some point I was just asking myself “should we really tell him?” 😭 Loved your raw reactions and also loved to see how someone who is not familiar with the lore would interpret this album!!
The production and arrangement of A House In Nebraska is so gorgeously wide open and airy, as someone who grew up a few miles outside of Nebraska in rural South Dakota, it sounds so much like that landscape in that regard.
saw ethel in concert this past year and was right at her feet 💀 but she’s so good her vocals are insane sounds just like the songs
Watching this really proves that Hayden can write a specific, detailed concept album and it can be interpreted by different people in very different ways, but bringing most of them to tears. I love watching these reaction videos. It shows her genius and her heart to be able to touch people the way she does. I've cried all over my town listening to her music since I found her, just months ago. 🩷
when i saw you basically crying during American Teenager... I knew you were in for a ride
Hard times is the only song that makes me feel a punch in the stomach the moment it starts.
Everybody listening to the wholesome interpretation of “strangers” :
Oh hun
I've never cried so much consistently while listening to an album... each listen releases something more. I had "hard times" on loop yesterday all day. I love how you described it as being captured in a memory that's exactly what it feels like.
The album is split up into 2 halves. 2nd half beginning at thoroughfare and continuing a story through the rest of the songs. In thoroughfare, she meets this stranger and decides to travel with him. In gibson girl, she is being pimped out and drugged. In ptolemaea, she is starting to hallucinate because of all the drugs. In august underground, she attempts to escape but while doing so, she is captured by her boyfriend and is murdered by him. In televangelism, she is ascending to heaven. In sun bleached flies, she has arrived to heaven and is now reflecting on her family, her first love, etc. In strangers, she sings about her boyfriend putting her body in a freezer and slowly starts to cannibalise her but she gives him food poisoning which is why she sings 'if im turning in your stomach, am i making you feel sick?' and at the end of the song, she is singing to her mum telling her not to worry and that they'll see eachother in heaven when her mum makes it there.
The fact that you could process these songs after first listen is soo impressive! It took me a few listens to even comprehend the base meanings.. its very heavy at first. I love it so much
Thank you!!!
First time I heard the scream in ptolemaea it made me sink. I love this album.
It's scary af I have to skip the song when I listen to the whole album hahaa
i know the fictional concept of Preacher's Daughter, but i love hearing your outside perspective on these songs, because in a lot of ways you're right about things. there's so much behind her songs and i feel like it's a massive testament to how so many people can relate to her music.
This album and dance fever were the best albums of 2022 and the fact they got to be together to sing live and connect in person made me bawl. Ethel’s story telling is phenomenal and different in the sense you can feel the humidity and sea the flies buzzing around the room and I don’t know how many other artists I can think of who can take the concept album and elevate it and make it her own on her debut no less. She’s just so brilliant and I will be listening to anything she releases
You definitely HAVE to do another video on the Genius notes about the album!!
thoroughfare makes me feel things, such a gorgeous song
I just discovered Ethel today on You Tube quite by accident. I immediately fell in love with her voice, her writing skills, her musicianship and her Brechtian life, like something out of a John Steinbeck novel. She's a hardcore realist, but in a dreamy sort of way. I must say, I'm now a Ethel Cain fan.
love it! Im literally listening to her as I write this haha
« Looks like she found someone who truly believes in her “ honey…u got a big storm coming…
your crying is making me cry. i’m feeling it alongside you
I love your interpretation of the songs! I know the album has a cinematic narrative, but I think you got right to the heart of the lyrics, what makes them hit so hard. Especially Sun-Bleached Flies. I cried right along with you as you were explaining how you saw them 🥲
Sun bleached flies is the best song off of this project and if you don’t agree meet me at the parking lot
Missed ur golden opportunity to say "meet me at the thoroughfare"
I just want to say I looove how much care and appreciation you show to everything you react to!! your approach to "reactions" is so refreshing, I love how even if I've heard something already, your thoughts add so much to the art
not you and me crying all over again
The last track is referring to her being eaten and murdered in the basement of the lover that she went with I think
you're correct, she's referring to how she was eaten by him. lines where she speaks about how she never considered herself 'tough', talking about how tough the meat on her body is
the demo had a line like “you shit me out” too lol
@@LanaDelReySupremacy imagine 😭
I think she was murdered in august underground
@@freezingpoints yeah she was and that’s why it transitions to televangelism it’s her soul leaving and going to heaven
Hard Time: The trauma is abuse, too young too know, that some love could bee bad!
“nine going on eighteen”
I was SOBBING when I first heard House in Nebraska hahaha my reaction exactly!
I cry every time that damn song starts. I love it so much, probably one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard, but it rips me apart...
by the way, I know it’s a concept album with a very defined narrative, but all of your interpretations are so real!! I love watching reactions where they don’t know anything about the narrative because that’s one of my favorite things about music in general - hearing all the different interpretations people find in songs!
edited to add that I adore your interpretation of what she’s saying to her mom on the last track
as i made to the end, i started giggling because of the way you interpreted the second half of the album-it's actually almost completely opposite of what you were saying about them (mainly the last few)
but then it made me sit and think about how it goes to show that hayden is a complete genius when it comes to songwriting. the way she writes her songs allows her to tell many different stories at once. even though she's telling the story of a character, it's just vague enough for you to be able to interpret the songs in your own way.
i'm so glad that you were able to sit with the album without knowing the overarching story ahead of time-i did as well. after learning the lore of the album and the character 'ethel', then giving it a listen after, i experienced some sort of a mental whiplash. i had interpreted them so differently, and it took me a few more listens to follow the story as it was meant to be told.
her songwriting and storytelling is easily top tier for me. it's insane that this is a debut album. it makes me so excited to experience the next 2 albums in the 'preacher's' trilogy!!
Imagine if the story actually ended this happily.
New viewer to your channel, but obsessed with Hayden/Ethel Cain 🥰 I loved your take on the album prior to knowing the storyline. My jaw hit the floor when I finally realized what happened, so I’d love to see a follow-up of your reaction now that you know the full story! 🫶🏻 you are a precious soul and I’m glad Ethel brought me to your page!
who’s gonna tell him that she was eaten by the man she met 😭
I don't want to see his reaction 😭
@@charp823he’s so pure
He cried enough at that song already!
(sobbing) "this is so wonderful" LOL
When you were interpreting Sun Bleached flies, I thought I reached the same conclusion… and then I found the Genius notes and sis did I BAWL 😭😭😭
i love this man i love that he cried, because me fucking too dude. it is an insanely powerful album and its beautiful. i love that the wave of emotions was able to be felt by such a big amount of people
Hayden is so talented I’m so excited for her future in music
I heard this for the first time yesterday and this is also the very first time I can say I experienced a perfect album. I have never been so moved by a piece in my entire life. As someone who is going through their own journey of healing from religion, it was like hearing my own thoughts. The ending had so much hope and it makes me believe one day I will feel the same way. Even watching this video made me bawl my eyes out 😅
16:52 this reaction pretty much sums her music up for me lol. I loved this video and getting your real-time reactions to hearing her music for the first time.
honestly i love that you dont know the actual context of the album, it shows how universal ethel cain art is even for people who’s not in the esoteric sense
yeah just listened to this entire album a few days ago and am just now recovering…..I have recommended it to a couple friends but warned them to make sure they were in a good space.
it’s not even like I wasn’t but felt as if I were hit by a train.
because I listened to it recently I feel like your video popped up on my algorithm and I’m not ready to watch it LOL will place in my watch later for a different date.
so beautiful. so heart wrenching. seriously don’t know if after your video I’ll ever be able to listen again..
PS. like I said I JUST listened to this album entirely three days ago and she’s playing in my city today. heavily considered buying tickets, but couldn’t after the serious emotional reaction I had. maybe next time…who knows!
videos like these are what i LIVE for! listening to music is such an escape for me, whether it’s in the lyrics, the harmonies, the beat. it’s just so great to see other people appreciating music in a similar way. and it makes listening to these songs in the future that much better. thank you!!!
THIS THIS THIS!!! Your Reacts have been what I have been searching for. Thank you for loving and understanding music. I wish you nothing but the most success for your music! :)
I love how emotionally invested he gets in the music
thank you so much for this reaction, you made me go through the experience all over again, like, i cried along with you 😭😭😭😭 truly a masterpiece
You have such wholesome interpretations of these songs! But you still understood a lot of the themes and vibes even when you were way off on interpretation 😅
I definitely had a thought through this like oh “he would die if he listened to Lingua Ignota” I have to admit I doubt you’d ever react to music like that but I would absolutely be here for it
help. youre so right but i Need a sinner get ready reaction so badly
I'm glad I'm not the only one terrified of Ptolemaea LOL. I love the whole album and concept sm, but that song puts me on the verge of an anxiety attack
same lol. I kept skipping it at first but made myself listen to it today in broad daylight which helped. Didn't want to listen to it at night!
i listen to it at midnight to scare myself lol
@@diamond82737 NAURRRR
@@MYOB00 yeah I literally can’t LMAO
Every time I listen to it I get goosebumps and it feels like my heart just drops. No matter how many times I hear it I still feel so sick and heartbroken hearing it.
The concept behind the album is mindblowing
10:20 "It almost has an element of 80s power rock" I'm cackling because it literally samples Don't Stop Believing lmaoooo
August Underground - 55:55 is also the name of a “snuff film”. (to be clear, it’s not an actual snuff film, just depicted as one^^)
I’m a big fan of disturbing films and I’ve always heard of august underground but I’m never watching that shit 😭
A dream where the nightmares are threatening to break through is a great description for how the first part of the album feels
I loved your interpretation of the album, it was so wholesome and lovely. I'm so glad you got something out of it.
Just wait till he finds out that Ethel died and was cannibalised by the man she met
House in Nebraska is literally going to be my favorite song of this year
I never knew much about Ethel outside of hearing her music and I was quite surprised when you mentioned she was trans, mostly because I knew her vocals and it stunned me to learn she transitioned in adulthood, but apparently she only came out at the age of 20. In case of transfemme people hormone replacement therapy in form of estrogen doesn't have an effect on the voice, so it must just be a mix of pure talent, training and great production, but her voice is not only stunning, but she also has a great range and unique tone that gives her such wonderful versatility without being bland or generic. She's just an astounding person, immensely creative and a dead brilliant storyteller. The beauty she puts in these heavy, painful topics doesn't cease to impress me.
Shit I didn't even consider that about her voice. What an icon.
She mentioned on her tumblr a while ago that she has a hormone imbalance and her voice didn’t change a lot after puberty, but she certainly does have undeniable talent regardless. ☺️
the house in nebraska reaction is soooo real
My fav song on the album is strangers and I love you but I can’t believe you didn’t pick up on the fact that she’s in a freezer, and her skins tough, and she’s all over his mouth, and he’s sick from it, and she’s restricted to a poloroid in EVIDENCE and her mom won’t see her until she’s dead. Song starts off with a sermon saying “with life comes the promise of death” and she says I grow cold thinking back to what I was told, don’t talk to strangers… she was warned and didn’t listen bc she trusted Isaiah and she grows cold at her self for being naive. But for someone that didn’t know the story for any of them the rest of the songs were really good guesses! You did great and I subscribed ❤
haha why would I guess that there'd be a song about canaballism?! hahah it would be a weird guess with no context 😂 but yes glad you enjoy the video!!
@@Luscent loved it! But idk that’s where my mind went when I first heard it because of the lyrics and context but I love your emotional reactions. This is the first video of yours I’ve seen. I watched the inbred one yesterday 🤪
One of my fave lyrics are: "I'm just a child but I'm not above violence. My mama raised me better than that" I feel fully seen with that song. But NOTHING has hit as hard as Ptolemaea, that song fucked me up.
It's amazing how you always find the perfect words to describe what's going on in every song. Loving it!
a part of me wishes I had listened to the album without knowing the story behind it and relisten to it with the knowledge of the storyline like you did!!! your insights on the potential underlying meaning hiding behind the storyline was great to have
Album of the 2022, period
The Ethel and Kacey stans won today!! 😍🙌🏻
actually in “strangers” she’s dead, like “my mother sees me in on the side of a milk carton in Winn Dixie’s dairy aisle she’ll cry and wait up for me” or “ you’re so handsome when im over your mouth” “am i make you feel sick?” or “don’t think about it too hard or you’ll never sleep a wink at night again” and “Don’t worry ‘bout me and these green eyes, mama just know that i love you, and i’ll see you when you get here” he just killed her and eat her, and she said goodbye to her mother :(
That is so sad!
Wonderful review. You definitely have a talent for explaining your thoughts well through words.
imagine going through a break up listening to a house in nebraska. felt like a punch in the gut but it really helped me through some tough times
“This is so heavy” at house in Nebraska. Just wait for the rest GOD im just holding on for dear life the rest of this video good lord.
I loved your reactions, its such a raw album so i really liked that you kept the energy calm and honest (if that makes sense) and it was really interesting seeing you see themes and meanings i missed 💛
your reactions are just excellent
In the 'House in Nebraska', the technique with the guitars is grittier, grungier. I get late 80's, early 90's Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Candlebox; for vocals, I'm also getting Paula Cole and Zola Jesus.
‘House in Nebraska' really sounds like 'Medicine' by daughter
Let's gooo ❤❤ 2023 is starting pretty well with all the albums coming and all the albums you're reacting , too .
I'm so excited for this year specially with all the artists that are rumored to release new music , so many artists are coming back 🤗🤗🤗
I can't wait for you to react to weyes bloods newest album and of course lizzy grant album 🌺🌸
When I first heard her, I thought of the Sound of The Cranberries - D O'Riordan. Haunting. I'm obsessed with Ethel Cain! I don't use the word "genius" often, if at all. But I do think Ethel C skirts those Realms.
ooo yes totally!
It was so funny seeing how you portrayed this story as happy ending one while the real story was so grim 💀
Very well said, my friend! A searching and in-depth listen and appreciation of the enormous talent that she undoubtedly has. You certainly made me think a bit, I just love to hear other people's interpretations and takes on such beautiful and complex storytelling. Dig your point of view.👌👍🏻
I'd love to see you rank the best albums off 2022 and of all time... I always find new music through your channel and I'm thankful for that. I think your music taste is good for people like me who seek emotional experiences from it :)
Just finished getting through him reacting to the intro, and my mind I just like that meme: honey. You got a big storm coming.
just love how he interpreted the songs without realizing that the story being told was of this character hayden created. it completely gave me new ways to interpret this album that i love so much. great video! liked and subscribed! ❤
you picked the week i started listening to her to listen??? you are a saint
The fact you sensed that she had become “robotic and detached” in Gibson girl ?? You’re actually a genius! She was drugged and pimped out, so it’s highly likely so would detach from herself. It’s amazing that you got that just from the production.