Ethel Cain’s sophomore studio album “willoughby tucker, i’ll always love you” is set for release in August 2025, along with a tour of North America and Europe.
Some of the album’s tracks won’t be new to fans due to leaks from the artist herself, Hayden Silas Anhedönia, who’s behind the fictional character Ethel Cain. “willoughby tucker, i’ll always love you” is a prequel to “Preacher’s Daughter,” released in 2022, and will be Hayden’s second album this year, following drone album “Perverts.”
Confirmed Tracks
These leaked tracks are discussed and evidenced under Hayden’s subreddit, r/Ethelcain, and all tracks discussed in this article are leaked on SoundCloud. A confirmed track is “Dust Bowl,” with the lyrics of its first line, “Pretty boy, natural blood-stained blond,” displayed on a mock-up promotional tour material depicting fictional character Willoughby Tucker. “Waco, Texas,” is the second and final confirmed track that was announced to be 20 minutes long via a now-deleted Tumblr post.
Potential Tracks
In the past, Hayden posted a lyric from “Nettles” on Tumblr, and fans took that as a hint that it would be featured on the album. “Bambi” was leaked two years ago in a now-deleted Tumblr post, and some fans speculate that it may be on “willoughby tucker, i’ll always love you”. “Homecoming” is a personal favorite of mine, based on the 1976 movie “Carrie,” which is on the Genius tracklist for the album and the pre-sale code to buy tickets for Hayden’s “Willoughby Tucker Forever” tour, according to some users on TikTok.
Other songs I’d personally love to see on the album are “wrestling in dirt pits” and “crying during sex.” Hayden’s unreleased tracks often contain some of her best writing and, as always, transcendescant vocals.
How does the album fit into the story of Ethel Cain?
Ethel Cain’s story has been explained by Hayden, and she even said it’ll eventually be published in a book. It begins in 1991, and Ethel is the only daughter of a preacher, who runs away from her home in Alabama. She feels disconnected from her family and devastated by the disappearance of her childhood love, Willoughby Tucker, without so much as a goodbye. On the road, she meets a handsome stranger, Isaiah, but learns that love is not always what it seems when he murders and cannibalizes her, as depicted in the song “Ptolemaea.”
“willoughby tucker, i’ll always love you,” is set before “Preacher’s Daughter” and will offer insight into Ethel’s tumultuous teenage years. We’ll learn about her relationship with her first love, Willoughby Tucker, and the conflict with her parents that caused her to leave her hometown.