Draft:Vacillator

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"Vacillator"
Song by Ethel Cain
from the album Perverts
ReleasedJanuary 8, 2025 (2025-01-08)
Recorded2024
Genre
Length7:44
LabelDaughters of Cain
Songwriter(s)Hayden Silas Anhedönia
Producer(s)Ethel Cain
Music video
"Vacillator" on YouTube

"Vacillator" is a song by the American singer-songwriter and record producer Ethel Cain, from her studio recording Perverts (2025). She wrote, recorded, produced, and mixed it in 2024 as part of the project, while Dale Becker mastered it. It became available on January 8, 2025, when Perverts was released. An accompanying music video, directed by Cain and Silken Weinberg, premiered hours after its release.

"Vacillator" is a country and slowcore ballad with a minimalist and atmospheric production. It is the only song on Perverts to include drums, provided by Matthew Tomasi. Lyrically, the song is a melancholic portrait of an abusive relationship. Several music critics highlighted "Vacillator" as a standout on Perverts, and publications named it one of the best songs of its release week.

Release

[edit]

Ethel Cain announced the release of Perverts through her Instagram account on October 14, 2024.[1] In press releases, she classified it as a side project rather than the follow-up studio album to her previous effort, Preacher's Daughter (2022).[2] She released the single "Punish" on November 1, 2024,[3] and revealed the track listing ten days later, in which "Vacillator" appears as the fourth song.[4] Perverts was digitally released on January 8, 2025.[5] An accompanying music video for "Vacillator" premiered hours after;[6][7] it was directed by Cain and Silken Weinberg.

Composition

[edit]

"Vacillator" is 7 minutes and 44 seconds long. As part of Perverts, Cain wrote, recorded, produced, and mixed the track, while Dale Becker was in charge of its mastering.[8] Cain also performed the instruments except for the drums, which were played by Matthew Tomasi.[9] Musically, "Vacillator" is a ballad with a country[10] and slowcore sound,[11] influenced by ambient music.[12] Its production is minimalist and atmospheric,[10][12] and Cain provides soft vocals.[10] "Vacillator" starts with drums, being the only song on the project to feature the instrument,[2] and later incorporates a softer rhythm.[9] The melancholic[13] lyrical content depicts the perspective of an abuser in a violent relationship: "I like that sound you make / when you're clawing at the edge / and without escape".[14][9]

Writing for The A.V. Club, Emma Keates believed that the repeated verse, "If you love me, keep it to yourself", is "one of the only discernible lyrics" on Perverts.[15] The song received several comparisons to other musicians from reviewers. Writing for NME, Kristen S. Hé perceived similarities between the song and the works of the indie rock band Duster,[10] while Shaad D'Souza of Paper and Jonah Krueger of Consequence compared it to the music of the musician Grouper.[12][16] Additionally, Slant Magazine's Eric Mason said that Cain "channels" the singer-songwriter Nicole Dollanganger on "Vacillator".[17]

Critical reception

[edit]

Upon the release of Perverts, several music critics highlighted "Vacillator" as a standout on the project. A staff reviewer of Sputnikmusic believed that it was one of the best songs on Cain's discography to that point, and described it as the project's "crown jewel and most memorable composition".[18] Writing for Louder Sound, Emily Swingle praised the song's instrumental and believed that it is one of the lighter songs on Perverts.[19] John Wohlmacher of Beats Per Minute described "Vacillator" as "nothing short of a masterpiece" and an "hymn".[11] Krueger named it the best song of its release week, and praised the track's melody and Cain's vocal performance. He described it as "a polarizing, wonderful artistic triumph".[16] Rolling Stone, D'Souza, and Out's Taylor Henderson also included "Vacillator" on their lists of the best songs from that week.[20][12][7]

References

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  1. ^ Paul, Larisha (October 14, 2024). "Ethel Cain Sets Release Date for New Album 'Perverts'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Sanders, Brad (January 7, 2025). "Album Of The Week: Ethel Cain Perverts". Stereogum. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  3. ^ Hé, Kristen S. (November 1, 2024). "'Punish' is a brutally beautiful introduction to Ethel Cain's new chapter". NME. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  4. ^ Lapierre, Megan (November 11, 2024). "Ethel Cain Shares 'Perverts' Tracklist, Artwork". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  5. ^ Taylor, Sam (January 8, 2025). "Ethel Cain has released her experimental ambient project 'Perverts'". Dork. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  6. ^ Hurwitz, Amanda (January 10, 2025). "The GLAAD Wrap: "Lady Like" on VOD, Trailers for "Companion" and "Harlem," First-Look at "The Last of Us," New Music by Ethel Cain, KiNG MALA, and More!". GLAAD. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Henderson, Taylor (January 10, 2025). "LGBTQ+ Listening: Bad Bunny and Ethel Cain's new albums make waves". Out. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  8. ^ "Perverts — Album by Ethel Cain". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on January 11, 2025. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c Martin, Clare (January 8, 2025). "Ethel Cain is Inscrutable and Fascinating on Perverts". Paste. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d Hé, Kristen S. (January 6, 2025). "Ethel Cain – 'Perverts' review: daring discomfort from a true cult star". NME. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  11. ^ a b Wohlmacher, John (January 13, 2025). "Album Review: Ethel Cain – Perverts". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d D'Souza, Shaad (January 10, 2025). "Sound Off: 10 Songs You Need to Hear Now". Paper. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  13. ^ Tipple, Ben (January 8, 2025). "Ethel Cain – Perverts". DIY. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  14. ^ Kim, Matthew. "Ethel Cain goes from hell to heaven and back on Perverts". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on January 7, 2025. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  15. ^ Keates, Emma (January 11, 2025). "Ethel Cain makes an early bid for feel-bad album of the year with Perverts". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  16. ^ a b Krueger, Jonah (January 10, 2025). "Song of the Week: Ethel Cain Rewards the Patient with the Hauntingly Beautiful "Vacillator"". Consequence. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  17. ^ Mason, Eric (January 5, 2025). "Ethel Cain 'Perverts' Review: Another Cathartic Character Portrait". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  18. ^ "Review: Ethel Cain - Perverts". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  19. ^ Swingle, Emily (January 9, 2025). "Ethel Cain nosedives into the haunting depths of a sexually tormented and guilt-ridden mind on the dark, disquieting Perverts". Louder Sound. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  20. ^ "Bad Bunny, Japanese Breakfast, Ethel Cain, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week". Rolling Stone. January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 11, 2025.

Category:2025 songs Category:Ethel Cain songs Category:Country ballads