Today we meet the charming and mystical singer Ethel Cain and her equally captivating album Preacher’s Daughter. All visuals for this album were shot using a Polaroid camera.
Biography
Hayden Sylas Anghedonia, better known by the stage name Ethel Cain – an American singer from the hot city of Tallahassee, Florida. She began her music career back in 2017. Inspired by Christian music that reminded her of her childhood in a small provincial town, Cain started experimenting with writing, recording, and producing music in her own style. She released several mixtapes and EPs on streaming platforms under various pseudonyms, as well as on sites like SoundCloud and Tumblr, before adopting a more alternative sound and officially starting the Ethel Cain project in mid-2019.
Preacher’s Daughter
Since 2020, when the world was experiencing the pandemic period, Ethel began recording a full studio album, which would later tell the world the incredible story of the protagonist in a cruel world, where it is so hard to feel free from the opinions of others.
Thus, in 2022, after several studio sessions, her debut album Preacher’s Daughter (translated as “Preacher’s Daughter”) was released. It received an incredibly high rating on Metacritic, for a debut project of the singer.
Ethel literally saturated the entire album with Polaroid aesthetics, believing that it was the best way to convey the atmosphere of the East Coast, where she spent most of her life. The album cover for Preacher’s Daughter was created using a vintage Polaroid SX-70 camera by her sister during the album recording. The singer rented a cottage in Nebraska, where she recorded the entire album and shot the visuals with her friends.
Gibson Girl
On March 17, 2022, Cain released the first single "Gibson Girl," the cover of which was presented as a Polaroid scan.
The song tells the story of a seductive yet tragic woman who tries to find her place in the modern world, battling personal demons and challenges. The lyrics explore themes of love, loss, and self-determination, combining emotional nuances with a melancholic atmosphere.
Strangers
Ethel released the second single "Strangers" on April 7 of the same year, accompanied by a minimalist cover in warm tones made with the Polaroid SX-70 camera.
The song is about difficult relationships and the sense of alienation between two people who were once close but have now become strangers to each other. It explores themes of loneliness, loss, and disappointment, highlighting the emotional pain and emptiness that arise after a breakup.
Not only the visuals but even the lyrics of the single "Strangers" contain references to Polaroids. The author added a poetic line to the song, emphasizing that Polaroid photographs can hold valuable memories:
Am I not good enough?
With my memories imprisoned in a Polaroid as evidence
I just wanted to be yours
Can I be yours?
American Teenager
"American Teenager," the final single before the official release of the album, was presented on April 21. The song talks about the experience of American teenagers, touching on themes of growing up, identity, love, and struggle. It reflects the harsh realities that young people in the U.S. face and their hopes for the future. The lyrics highlight both the positive and negative aspects of teenage life, with an emphasis on finding oneself and one's place in the world.
The cover for the music video was made by Ethel’s best friend with a Polaroid camera during the filming of the music video, which was also shot using a vintage video camera.
Also, apart from the singles, the era of the album Preacher’s Daughter has gained quite an attractive overall aesthetic, which is mostly created thanks to Polaroid photos.
