Ethel Cain - Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You (2025)
Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You is the cinematic prequel to Preacher’s Daughter, expanding Ethel Cain’s Southern Gothic narrative through sludgy slowcore and sepia-toned folk. Set in late 1980s Alabama, it unfolds as a doomed teenage romance full of Southern decay, longing, and tragic inevitability. The album leans into atmosphere rather than plot—lush drones, ambient soundscapes, and deliberately slow pacing make it feel like stepping into a distant, desolate memory.
Tracks like “Nettles” channel pastoral Americana with haunting banjo and lyrical nostalgia, while “Fuck Me Eyes” injects a moment of darkly euphoric pop that disrupts the album’s prevailing haze. The staggering 15‑minute closer, “Waco, Texas,” drifts through layers of voice and instrumentation, inducing both reflection and unease. Though many of the tracks eschew traditional structure and can feel slow‑paced, the album’s emotional storytelling and evocative imagery create a deeply immersive listening experience—a delicate balance of home movie intimacy and gothic grandeur.
Genre: Slowcore
Country: US
Final Verdict: 74% (Very Good Album)
Yearly Ranking: 18th / 533
Highlight: Dust Bowl
Made me think of:
Chelsea Wolfe
Weyes Blood
Sharon Van Etten
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