Ethel Cain Unveils “Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You”: A Queer Southern Gothic Saga

Ethel Cain, the Florida-born singer-songwriter celebrated for her evocative storytelling and immersive soundscapes, has released her highly anticipated third studio album, “Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You” on August 8, 2025 . Issued through her independent label Daughters of Cain, the album arrives as a prequel to her breakout 2022 debut, “Preacher’s Daughter,” and builds on her reputation for crafting music steeped in Southern Gothic themes, queer longing, and intergenerational trauma .

“Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You” centers on the titular Willoughby, the protagonist’s first love, and sets its narrative in 1986—a time and place fraught with both repression and the desperate beauty of queer youth . The album’s story is a meditation on teenage romance, heartache, and the search for identity, themes that hold particular resonance for LGBTQ+ listeners who have long grappled with invisibility and longing in heteronormative spaces .

Cain has previously described the project as a prequel to “Preacher’s Daughter,” focusing on the early years of her protagonist and the doomed love affair that would later haunt her adult life . This framing allows Cain to explore the nuances of queer love: the thrill of first connections, the pain of secret romance, and the specter of loss that often shadows LGBTQ+ lives, especially in conservative rural settings.

The album’s tracklist features ten songs over 73 minutes, blending ambient-folk with moody instrumental interludes and synth-pop ballads . Standout singles “Nettles” and “Fuck Me Eyes” encapsulate Cain’s gift for weaving vulnerability and defiance into her sound .

Tracks like “Janie” and “Tempest” showcase her atmospheric production, while “Dust Bowl,” a longtime fan favorite, and the sprawling 15-minute epic “Waco, Texas,” evoke the sense of place and fatalism that define Cain’s work . The album’s centerpiece, “A House in Nebraska,” is revisited from “Preacher’s Daughter”—now contextualized as a song of queer remembrance and loss .

Fitting for a concept album set in the mid-1980s, Cain draws on ’90s cult lore and Americana. The result is a landscape that is as much about the ghosts of queer history as it is about the living, breathing realities of LGBTQ+ people in red-state America.

Cain’s music has long resonated with LGBTQ+ communities for its unapologetic embrace of queer themes and its refusal to sanitize difficult truths. “Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You” is no exception. By centering the love story between her protagonist and Willoughby, Cain foregrounds queer desire and heartbreak in a way that challenges mainstream depictions of Southern and rural life .

To promote the album, Cain will embark on the “Willoughby Tucker Forever Tour” across North America and Europe from August to November 2025, promising to bring her cinematic vision and inclusive message directly to LGBTQ+ fans worldwide . The tour is expected to be a celebration of queer resilience, with live performances that amplify the album’s themes of love, loss, and community.

Cain’s influence extends beyond her music: her openness about her queer identity and her commitment to telling stories from the perspective of LGBTQ+ individuals has made her a vital voice in contemporary culture . As “Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You” finds its audience, it stands as both a work of art and a beacon for those seeking affirmation and recognition within the broader cultural landscape.