‘Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You’, Ethel Cain delves into the shattered illusion of a love story
The singer returns with a haunting new album.
Photo: Dollie Kyarn
Rich with her Southern gothic roots and layers of lyrical deluge, Ethel Cain’s new album Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You (2025) pays a homage to love and the sorrows that accompany, embraced by the unescapable gossip of a small town. Almost considered a prequel to her hit album Preacher’s Daughter (2022), which was soaked in a dark narrative, her new album offers a backstory, taking the listener on a harrowing journey from start to finish.
Described by Cain as “one long love song”, the album was celebrated through pre-ordered vinyl, CD and cassette releases and teasers through Cain’s social media, along with the release of two singles: Nettles and Fuck Me Eyes. Standing at just shy of one hour and fifteen minutes, this ten-track album leads you by the hand through the protagonist’s relationship, through tormenting and earnest intimacy.
Jaine, the album’s first track, offers a foreshadowing of what is yet to come. A side glance. An uncomfortable gaze for a couple of seconds too long. Stammering, unable to get the words out. While rotating around the theme of love, the lyrics echo the guttural feeling of falling in love, partnered with the risk they could leave for someone else. Someone like Jaine. Melodically flowing into track two, which introduces our main protagonist, Willoughby’s Theme is a hauntingly beautiful instrumental song. Cain took to Instagram to say that this track was her favourite off the record, and will likely become a fan favourite, as it replicates the feeling of a lover’s embrace and a slow dance. The track’s instrumental suddenly plunges into a more unnerving and dark tone, with the lack of lyrics forcing the listener to be immersed in the experience.
Track three comes in the form of Fuck Me Eyes, which was released as a single in the follow-up to the album’s release. This song has a similar upbeat, 80s atmosphere as Cain’s previous songs, such as American Teenager; this track reflects on a girl who is considered promiscuous and is in no way shy to flaunt her body. The definition of sexual energy and possibly the pariah of a small town, the lyricism evokes feelings of distaste for this girl, the siren and latent ‘home wrecker’ of the town, conveyed in an energetic and uplifting manner.
The next track was also released as a single in the run-up to the album’s release, in the form of Nettles, and is set to be the most popular off the album. Painting the perfect picture of love, and how reality isn’t always what we hoped for, Nettles is prickled with nostalgic flair with nods to Cain’s classic and recognisable sound. Shifting the narrative, Willoughby’s Interlude follows, a tense instrumental that makes your hair stand up on edge and your heartbeat rise, almost an indicator to what is to come. Identified as the interval of this cinematic masterpiece of an album, the tone shifts greatly from here.
Seen as a second part to our musical prequel, Dust Bowl leans into more shoegaze tones that are similar to bands such as Duster and Grouper. Featuring Cain’s raw and heart-wrenching vocals, the peak of the relationship is over. The façade is starting to crumble, and the future is bleak. Track seven only elevates the pain, as A Knock at the Door offers a literal sense of dread and a metaphorical intrusion of privacy that can shatter the romantic illusion. This song features harmonies and the plucking of guitar strings, offering a dainty look at a love that once was, followed by an extended outro that feels cold and empty, like you’re trapped in an industrial space of concrete walls and rusty pipes. Blending seamlessly into Radio Towers, another ethereal instrumental that keeps you confined in that concrete space. However, the tone has changed, you’ve learnt to accept it, and freedom isn’t a choice anymore.
Bleeding into track nine, Tempest is the breaking point. The perfect relationship mirage is mere dust and memories, and the emotional turbulence of abuse has become a staple. The backing vocals of this song imitate a two-person perspective, either a conversation between failing lovers or an internalised monologue of the narrator’s pain.
The story ends at the final track, Waco, Texas — a 15-minute ballad that is a metaphorical and physical ending to the story, where a love doused with tragedy concludes. With lyrics exploring the themes of internal and external pain, the outro and the beautiful piano that accompanies evoke feelings of sadness for the narrator, after everything she has endured. With the dreamy and ambient tone of the song reminiscent of that of Hard Times from Preacher’s Daughter, this aligns with the 2025 album being the backbone and pre-events of her first album. Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You is the reason for the tragic narrative and Ethel Cain’s suffering in her 2022 album, which ties the Cain universe together perfectly.
This isn’t just an album. It’s a journey from the first exchange of words to the final stroke of a cheek, and the all-consuming voyage that is love. The unravelling of a love story and an idolised lover, which irrevocably untangles into lies and deceit. The music itself also offers an experience to the listener; it’s a cinematic masterpiece that paints a story with heartfelt and raw lyricism, along with the atmospheric and compelling instrumentals throughout. This is an embodiment of something more. A narrative and, possibly, a warning.
Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You is out now via Daughters of Cain Records.
Tracklist:
Jaine
Willoughby’s Theme
Fuck Me Eyes
Nettles
Willoughby’s Interlude
Dust Bowl
A Knock At The Door
Radio Towers
Tempest
Waco, Texas