- To see alternate articles, check out Inbred (song).
Inbred is the third extended play (EP) by Hayden Anhedönia under her current stage name Ethel Cain. It was released on April 23, 2021, being the first release under her label, Daughters of Cain.
Anhedönia's third EP is a departure from her earlier work under the Cain moniker, leaning towards anger rather than sadness explored in the previous two EPs, with a more mainsteam approach, borrowing from pop, punk, rock and americana. Inbred is one of Anhedönia's more popular EPs due to its aforementioned sound alongside it featuring one of Anhedönia's more popular tracks to date—"Crush"—the second single. The EP had a limited physical release on CDs and cassettes.
Background[]
Development[]
After releasing her second EP in 2019 under the Cain moniker, Golden Age, Anhedönia felt "shoehorned" in the "sad girl" archetype that had come to define her due to the melancholic nature of the record. Wanting to break free from the label, she shifted focus for her next project, Inbred, channeling more of her anger than sadness in the music. She also wanted to clean up her sound after gaining more skill in production and more professional equipment.[1] In 2020, Anhedönia debuted multiple songs to her at-the-time small fanbase via unofficial uploads, livestreams, and snippets. Initially, Inbred was conceived as an ‘80s-inspired synthpop EP, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led Hayden to rethink the entire concept. She described the new direction as one rooted in "misery" and "suffering," with a heavier emphasis on guitars.[2]
In July, Anhedönia signed a deal with publishing company Prescription Songs alongside AWAL—creating her imprint label Daughters of Cain—and Amigo Records.[3] In November, Anhedönia traveled to Florida to collaborate with producer and friend, Aelyx. The two worked together for a week, crafting the foundation for the EP. However, after returning to Indiana, Anhedönia felt dissatisfied with the material she had created. She scrapped most of what had been done and quickly wrote a new batch of songs over the course of just a few weeks, expressing that she hated the previous direction in press interviews.[2]
Gallery[]
![September 22, 2020.[4]](/wiki/File:Inbred_(22_sept_2020_Session).jpeg "Inbred (22 sept 2020 Session).jpeg (191 KB)")
Release and Promotion[]
On January 8, 2021, Anhedönia announced "Michelle Pfeiffer," featuring Lil Aaron, as the lead single from the then-upcoming Inbred EP via social media.[5] Following its release, Anhedönia gave two press interviews to promote the track and EP. She also benefited from increased promotional support through her partnerships with her record labels, giving her a wider reach than when she was releasing her two previous EPs; "Michelle Pfeiffer" was featured on Billboard[6], The Fader[7], Nylon,[8]and Pitchfork.[9] "Crush" was announced as the second single on March 15, 2021, via social media, with promotional stills from the visualizer—apart of the Inbred photoshoot.[10] The song was dropped three days after the announcement and became one of Anhedönia's most popular tracks, thanks to it's more pop sound. On April 15, 2021, "Unpunishable" was released as the final single to Inbred. The song was premiered the same day it was released as a single on the Zane Lowe Show on Apple Music.[11] Days before the EP release, Anhedönia shared an image revealing the track list of Inbred. Despite not being released as a single, a music video for "God's Country" was released on June 22 2021.
Signed CDs.
The same day the EP was released, Anhedönia's self-made label Daughters of Cain launched the limited physical editions of Inbred. They were distributed by the Canadian label Homie Shit Magazine in the formats of CD - limited to 200 copies, 25 signed by the artist[12] - and cassette - limited to 100 copies[13]. The physical editions, as well as containing alternative artwork, had four bonus tracks: "Crying During Sex," “Earnhardt,” a demo of "Age of Delilah," and a solo version of "Michelle Pfeiffer." There were complications with shipping the physical editions of Inbred, explained by Hayden to have been the outcome of production being paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A brown vinyl pressing of Inbred was initially planned, funded by Anhedönia's fans, featuring a mockup design created by Dirt Lake. However, the vinyl was ultimately canceled due to limitations as part of Anhedönia’s agreement with AWAL, granting them exclusive rights to produce and distribute physical media under the Ethel Cain name.[14]
Theme[]
When asked why she chose "Inbred" as the title for the EP, Anhedönia stated:[1]
| “ | In the same vein as the overarching theme for the debut record I’ve been tirelessly working on, I’m deeply engrossed in the idea of generational trauma and skeletons in closets. [...] Those deeply rooted issues in your family that never get resolved and are just further inbred into your bloodline with each generation, twisting and turning and contorting until it rips you all apart. | ” |
Reception[]
Critical Reception[]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10[15] |
The EP received a score of 7.6 from the publication Pitchfork for adding "nuance and depth to both her sound and her character", along with a review stating that, "On Inbred, her third EP as Ethel Cain, Anhedönia leans into her restrictive religious childhood, carrying her voice across the melismas of her youth to reveal its murkiness."[15]
Year-end rankings[]
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Fader | The 50 best albums of 2021 | [16] |
Artwork[]
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Shoot (2021) by Dollie Kyarn[]
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Promotional Video (2021) by Salem Anhedönia
A video for shot by E_DEATH using clips from the photoshoot was released as promotional material for Inbred. However, it has since been deleted and is currently not in circulation.
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Tracklist[]
| Inbred — Standard Edition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 1. | Michelle Pfeiffer (featuring Lil Aaron) | Hayden Anhedönia, Aaron Puckett, Kora Puckett | Anhedönia, A. Puckett, K. Puckett | 4:31 |
| 2. | Crush | Anhedönia | Anhedönia | 3:24 |
| 3. | God's Country (featuring Wicca Phase Springs Eternal) | Anhedönia, Adam McIlwee | Anhedönia | 8:15 |
| 4. | Unpunishable | Anhedönia | Anhedönia | 4:21 |
| 5. | Inbred | Anhedönia | Anhedönia | 4:47 |
| 6. | Two-Headed Mother | Anhedönia | Anhedönia | 6:12 |
| Total length: | 31:30 | |||
| Inbred — Physical Edition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 7. | Crying During Sex | Anhedönia | Anhedönia | 5:28 |
| 8. | Earnhardt | Anhedönia | Anhedönia | 4:24 |
| 9. | Age of Delilah (Demo) | Anhedönia | Anhedönia | 4:15 |
| 10. | Michelle Pfeiffer (Solo version) | Anhedönia | Anhedönia | 4:35 |
| Total length: | 50:12 | |||
Outtakes[]
- Fuck Me Eyes (Demo) Live Recording — Snippets of the song's demo were shared in 2020. Later reworked and released as the second single off Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You.
- ??? (Get on With Me) Live Recording — Played in a livestream by Hayden in 2021.
- Gold Cross Available — Posted to Tumblr, and was considered for the EP.
- Trucker's Chapel Available — Posted to Tumblr, and stated to be an outtake.
- Two Children in a Motel Available — Demo titled "Inbred" released on Tumblr was intended for this EP.
- Princess Ketamine Available — Demo 1 posted to Tumblr; demo 2 surfaced via unknown means.
Sessions[]
During the sessions of Inbred, these songs were produced and recorded, but it is unclear whether they were intended to be included on the EP.
- Fear No Plague Available — Released with a music video in 2020.
- Great Wide Nowhere Available — Shared on Tumblr.
- Half-Cocked Available — Released to Tumblr.
- Have You Told Your Wife? Tagged/Edited — Anhedönia shared a snippets of the song in 2020 and 2021. Considered to be pitched to a film/film soundtrack. The full version was leaked with a low-quality and tagged file on March 23, 2025.
- Scarlet Letter Available — Recorded in 2020. Audio used in an Only Fans video belonging to one of Hayden's friends.
- ??? (Stoker) Partial — Snippets shared by Hayden in 2020.
Covers[]
- Embarrassing Available — Originally by Ellis. Posted on Anhedönia's SoundCloud in 2020.
- My Heart Will Go On Partial — Originally by Celine Dion. Played in an Instagram livestream.
- Rangerover Available — Originally by Porches. Initially shared in 2020, and later rereleased in 2023 under the Tommy alias.
- Total Eclipse of the Heart Partial — Originally by Bonnie Tyler. Played in E DEATH's video "Two Sisters Under God."
Personnel[]
Credits[]
- Hayden Anhedönia — songwriting (all tracks), production (all tracks excluding track 1), vocals (all tracks), mixing (all tracks), additional guitar (track 6), bass (track 6)
- Aaron Puckett — songwriting (track 1), production (track 1), vocals (track 1)
- Adam McIlwee — songwriting (track 3), vocals (track 3)
- Benjamin Holt — guitar (track 6)
- Bryan De Leon — live drums (track 2, 3, 4)
- Dale Becker — mastering (all tracks)
- Dan Geraghty — additional guitar (track 4)
- Frank Manely — additional guitar (track 3)
- Kora Puckett — songwriting (track 1), production (track 1), vocals (track 1), guitar (track 1)
Publishing[]
- Where Da Kasz At? — publisher
- Daughters of Cain (via AWAL) — publisher, copyright
- The Orchard — distributor
- Rhea Pasricha — A&R administrator
Footnotes[]
- ^[a] "Two-Headed Mother" was initially written in 2019.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stephanie Malone, "Now Hear This: Interview With Ethel Cain" Morbidly Beautiful, February 24, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Konstantinos Pappis, "Artist Spotlight: Ethel Cain" Our Culture Magazine, April 21, 2021.
- ↑ 𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔩 𝔠𝔞𝔦𝔫 (@hisethelcain) "officially a label-signed artist as of today! new EP coming very very soon and then finally my debut record after that! hope ur all as excited as i am!!! - ethel" Twitter, July 17, 2020.
- ↑ 𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔩 𝔠𝔞𝔦𝔫 (@hisethelcain) "this ep making me kookoo," Twitter, September 22, 2020.
- ↑ 𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔩 𝔠𝔞𝔦𝔫 (@hisethelcain), "Michelle Pfeiffer, featuring @lilaaron911, out 2/11 †" Twitter, January 8, 2021.
- ↑ Stephen Daw, "First Out: New Music from Rebecca Black, Big Freedia, Syd & More" Billboard, February 12, 2021.
- ↑ Salvatore Maicki, "10 songs you need in your life this week" The Fader, February 15, 2021.
- ↑ Steffanee Wang, "Soundcheck: The 10 Best Music Released The Week of February 15th, 2021" Nylon, February 14, 2021.
- ↑ Ryan Dombal, "Michelle Pfeiffer," Pitchfork, February 12, 2021.
- ↑ 𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐢𝐧 (@mothercain), "Crush is out in 3 days, are u ready? ♡" Twitter, March 15, 2021.
- ↑ Sarah Jae Leiber, "Ethel Cain Premieres New Single 'Unpunishable'" Broadway World, April 15, 2021
- ↑ Discogs, Inbred
- ↑ Discogs, Inbred
- ↑ bigspender, "very true lol. she says everytime her live ends that she doesn’t like when people ask her for vinyl. i was also the one who made the inbred vinyl too. trust me we’ve spoken about it", Lanaboards, May 12, 2022.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Arielle Gordon, "Ethel Cain: Inbred EP Album Review," Pitchfork<, April 28, 2021.
- ↑ "The 50 best albums of 2021," The Fader, December 14, 2021.
| EP | |
|---|---|
| Standard Tracklist | Michelle Pfeiffer • Crush • God's Country • Unpunishable • Inbred • Two-Headed Mother |
| Physical Tracklist | Crying During Sex • Earnhardt • Age of Delilah (Demo) • Michelle Pfeiffer (Solo Version) |
| Non-EP | |
| Outtakes | Fuck Me Eyes • Get on With Me • Gold Cross • Trucker's Chapel • Two Children in a Motel • Princess Ketamine |
| Sessions | Fear No Plague • Great Wide Nowhere • Half-Cocked • Have You Told Your Wife? • Scarlet Letter • Stoker Covers: Embarrasing • My Heart Will Go On • Rangerover • Total Eclipse of the Heart |
| Ethel Cain Discography | |
| Carpet Bed • Golden Age • Inbred • Preacher's Daughter • Perverts • Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You • Preacher's Wife (Upcoming) • Mother of a Preacher (Upcoming) • Unreleased Projects | |