Ethel Cain, an American music artist is on her second world tour for the sophomore album “Willoughby tucker, i will always love you.” “Willoughby Tucker” is her second story piece, following “Preacher’s daughter,’’ a story of a young teenage girl growing up in the south, haunted by religious guilt and ultimately reaching her demise at the end of the album. In “Willoughby Tucker,” we get a closer glimpse with her first love, Willoughby Tucker, exploring the ups and downs of a “puppy love” relationship, trauma and the weight of a small town.
Opening for Ethel was a band called “9million,” with a take on rock and a mix of shoegaze. The lead singer, Matt Tomasi, and the whole band performed an amazing opening set and gave everyone the excited hype energy that many needed going into this concert. “9 Million” knew how to work a crowd. Many threw their car keys at the stage as well as over 10 people tried to body surf to the front of the stage. The band has the perfect mix of soft rock and nineties garage band.
Ethel opened her set with “Sunday Morning,” a slow song on her EP “Golden Age” that goes into a look of an abusive relationship trying to find a way out but never fully leaving. From sad and slow to the feel of a summer day in America, she played “American Teenager,” her take on a ‘good’ American life. Pulling on the ropes of death, war and religion, that’s what the ideal American life truly looks like.
Sadly, the hype ended there as she moved into her much sadder songs such as “Janie,” “Nettles,” “Dust bowl” and “Punish (demo II).” Most of those except “Punish” are off of her new album “Willoughby Tucker, I will always love you.” She ended her set with her most popular songs “Crush” and “Thoroughfare.”
“My favorite song from her set has to be “gibson girl” its just so captivating,” Harper Teismann (10) said.
Cain’s way of working a crowd is impeccable. The amount of emotions that she not only puts into her songs, but also what she puts into her beautiful voice as well, is truly impressive. She pours her soul into her performances and songs, making everyone feel her songs to their bones. She bewitched the crowd into a feeling of comfortable sadness. No one was embarrassed to cry.
“I feel like everyone at the concert was so nice and I met so many people and her fans are so sweet and she is such a beautiful singer and music performer,” Teismann (10) said.
If some were looking for a glimpse into an artist who knows how to build a world with only her words and singing, Ethel Cain would be the best option. She is an amazing vocalist and her lyricism is something incredible that has grown increasingly rare to see.
