It’s tough to narrow it down to just 10, but Ethel Cain’s discography is overflowing with tracks that explore the complexities of love in all its forms – from the tender and hopeful to the dark and devastating. If you’re looking to dive into the romantic (or anti-romantic) side of her music, here are 10 Ethel Cain love songs that will pull at your heartstrings, in one way or another:
“A House In Nebraska”: A quintessential Ethel Cain track about longing, escape, and the desperate hope for a different life with someone. The vivid imagery and raw emotion are palpable.
“American Teenager”: While tinged with youthful rebellion and disillusionment, there’s an undeniable undercurrent of wanting to find connection and love amidst the chaos of growing up.
“Ptolemaea”: A more unconventional choice, but within its harrowing narrative, there’s a twisted, almost possessive kind of “love” or obsession that drives the song’s dark heart. It showcases the more destructive aspects of human connection.
“Thoroughfare”: A beautiful and hopeful track about finding solace and a future with a beloved, hitting the open road, and leaving the past behind. It’s one of her most overtly romantic songs.
“Gibson Girl”: This song delves into the darker side of idealized love and the loss of self within a relationship, but it’s still a powerful exploration of desire and devotion, albeit a troubled one.
“Sun Bleached Flies”: While deeply melancholic, this song reflects on past relationships and the enduring impact of love, even when it’s gone. There’s a bittersweet nostalgia for what once was.
“Crush”: A more straightforward, albeit still haunting, take on the overwhelming feeling of a powerful crush, full of yearning and a touch of the ethereal.
“Inbred”: This track, while gritty and dealing with themes of intergenerational trauma, also touches on familial love and the complicated bonds that tie people together, for better or worse.
“God’s Country”: It’s less about romantic love and more about a deep, almost spiritual connection to place and, by extension, the people within it. There’s a profound sense of belonging and devotion.
“Strangers”: A heartbreaking and raw portrayal of love lost and the lingering pain of separation. It perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being intimately connected to someone who is now a stranger.
