Ethel Cain is more than the stage name of multimedia artist Hayden Anhedönia. Since 2022, Ethel has been the subject of an elaborate narrative. Brimming with religious undertones, allusions to generational trauma, and haunted Americana charm, Preacher’s Daughter was the first official foray into Ethel’s story. Now, with the recent release of Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You, Anhedönia has parted the curtain on Ethel’s troubled youth.
The recent 10-track EP is a prequel to Ethel Cain’s complicated story that unfolds in Preacher’s Daughter. To understand where Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You fits into the canon, it’s important to grasp the gravity of what happens in Preacher’s Daughter.
‘Preacher’s Daughter’: Ethel Cain Faces loss, violence, and destruction
The year is 1991. Ethel is 20 years old, reconciling grief and loneliness after losing the love of her life, Willoughby Tucker, who left town. The track “A House In Nebraska” focuses on this loss. Ethel begins drinking heavily and revisiting the abandoned house where she and Willoughby would secretly meet in the hope that he’ll return.
Ethel eventually leaves home with Logan Phelps, her second boyfriend. Logan is described as “violent and unstable.” He often beat Ethel when they were together, and was a criminal when they met. Their relationship and his eventual death is detailed in the track “Western Nights.” Ethel and Logan attempt to rob the First National Bank in Montgomery, Alabama, where Logan is killed by police.
Now a fugitive, Ethel Cain meets Isaiah Abrams by chance, and the two travel out west. The track “Thoroughfare” opens the second act of Preacher’s Daughter with their meeting in Arlington, Texas. Lyrically, the song is hopeful, leading listeners to believe Ethel has finally found “a man who wasn’t angry.”
However, the album’s visuals tell a different story. According to posters and newspaper reports, Isaiah actually kidnapped Ethel from a Winn-Dixie parking lot in Arlington. The next track, “Gibson Girl,” strips away any perceived hope from their meeting, revealing the darkness underneath. Ethel has been forced into sex work and drug use, becoming increasingly confused and lost.
While held hostage in Isaiah’s attic, Ethel hallucinates, which is described in the track “Ptolemaea.” Later, Isaiah murders Ethel, which Anhedönia has stated was a premeditated act. This is detailed in the track “August Underground,” where Isaiah has a mental break and cannibalizes Ethel. The album closer “Strangers,” serves as Ethel’s goodbye to her mother.
‘Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You’: the Brief, bright flare of teenage love
Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You takes us back to 1986. Ethel Cain is 16, in high school, and falls in love with her first boyfriend, Willoughby Tucker. The story is familiar and sweet, painting the picture of two teenagers connecting emotionally in an attempt to subvert their traumatic families.
However, reality swiftly rears its head, and Willoughby starts to realize that he and Ethel are projecting unattainable expectations on each other. He’s attempting to stay sane through childhood trauma, while she’s attempting to reconcile her abusive relationship with her father through him. Ethel believes their love is enough, but Willoughby’s perspective of their relationship begins to shift.
When a tornado rips through Shady Grove, Alabama, Ethel and Willoughby must finally face each other for what they are. Willoughby can’t be the strong, safe presence that Ethel wishes he could be and that she projects onto him. In turn, Ethel is unable to help Willoughby deal with his childhood trauma. After Ethel leaves Willoughby, terrified, to survive the tornado alone, their relationship falls apart. However, the album title makes it clear that Ethel is remorseful of this ending; Willoughby Tucker is the only boy she’ll ever truly love.
The Ethel Cain anomalies
Willoughby Tucker is made up of tracks that were supposed to be included on Preacher’s Daughter. At the time, they didn’t fit. Anhedönia previously stated on Tumblr around 2022 that she was working on a companion EP to Preacher’s Daughter, dubbed “The B-Sides.” This project was ultimately delayed several times due to new influences that had shifted her creative process, as she explained in a livestream in 2024.
Style-wise, it’s also a departure from Anhedönia’s previous album, Perverts, released in January 2025. Perverts was full of those new influences, and was essentially a playground for Anhedönia. Other EPs like Sad Music For Sad People, Carpet Bed, Golden Age, and Inbred were places for her to experiment with sound and style. Of all her work, Preacher’s Daughter and Willoughby Tucker remain true entries in the Ethel Cain canon.
Photo by Debbie Hickey/Getty Images
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