Ethel Cain’s new single ‘Nettles’ is over 8 minutes long.

Ethel Cain’s latest single, “Nettles,” marks a powerful return for the Southern Gothic singer-songwriter, clocking in at just over eight minutes. Far from being a conventional radio track, “Nettles” is a slow-burning, cinematic experience that unfolds like a Southern horror poem—equal parts vulnerable and haunting. The track opens with eerie strings and distant ambience, building an unsettling atmosphere before Cain’s ghostly vocals emerge nearly two minutes in. Lyrically, she dives deep into themes of pain, trauma, and inherited memory, painting vivid images of loss, scars, and survival with poetic intensity. As the lead single from her upcoming album Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You, “Nettles” acts as a prequel to the world she created in Preacher’s Daughter, her critically acclaimed debut. The length of the track is not accidental; it allows the emotion to simmer, the story to stretch, and her haunting vocal delivery to truly shine. Fans have been quick to embrace it, flooding social media with emotional reactions and speculations about the narrative direction of the new album. With “Nettles,” Ethel Cain continues to push the boundaries of storytelling in music, delivering not just a song, but an emotional experience that lingers long after the final note.