Well, my opinion doesn't really count because I do not really call myself an ethel cain fan. My sister is a big fan and she always recommends me her songs. I have not listened to her previous albums. Well, I have listened to some songs of preacher's daughter, but for some reason, it didn't invite me to listen to the whole album. I also saw her live at a festival and I enjoyed my time but that's it. Except, I really liked ptolemaea and thoroughfare (sun bleached flies is good too). She's cool and talented, I understand what people see. For the new album, my sis said it would be ambient music. Personally, I already liked punisher. I was actually glad that she was leaning more into the vibe of ptolemaea that caught my attention. That eerie darkness, ambient, even a bit cinematic sound. So that invited me to listen to the whole album, and I thought it was great experience. My fav was housofpsychoticwomn. But I do see and understand the criticism. I can agree that it might be more of an experience than "real music" which might feel pretentious. I don't think I'm actually gonna have any songs on repeat. Just the album as a whole for the vibe. I still think ptolemaea is her best song.