Swedish artist Anna von Hausswolff released her new album “Iconoclasts” on Halloween. In the meantime, she was releasing songs from the album with collaborations from artists like Iggy Pop and, most recently, Ethel Cain.
Her song with Ethel Cain, titled “Aging Young Women,” came out on Oct. 29. The song channels the melancholy feelings of losing time to adulthood with a haunting melody composed of layered vocals. Von Hausswolff shares her inspirations for the song by saying:
“‘Aging Young Women’ is about when the passing of time becomes a negative notion due to unfulfilled dreams and a feeling that a tainted situation is impossible to change to the contrary.”
Ethel Cain has recently come out with an album titled “Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You” in Aug. 2025. The album is a sequel to her 2022 album titled “Preacher’s Daughter.” The story Cain weaves is about a girl falling victim to religion and relationships, culminating in the character’s tragic end. The listener experiences this story and the protagonist’s narrative exclusively through song.
The musical tone and themes found in her work are present in the joint track. “Aging Young Women” invokes the same feelings of longing, remembering the past and religion that Cain is so well known for.
The chorus repeats the same phrase, “We are getting older by the hour, and every year we have more fear.” Von Hausswolff relates this feeling to a bird that is able to fly away but feels it cannot escape because the soil gives it life and more time. She is asking the audience to “set her free” from time and fear of what the future ahead of her holds.
The ending of the song, sung by both Cain and von Hausswolff, ends with them lamenting that their dream of the future will “slowly disappear,” and the fear that comes with that. The last lyrics, however, replace “future” with “family.” The artists sing:
“And we, getting older by the hour
Ooh, and every year, we have more fear
Ooh, that the dream of the future
Ooh, will slowly disappear
And we, getting older by the hour
Ooh, and every year, we have more fear
Ooh, that the dream of a family
Ooh, will slowly”
The song culminates here to its final meaning. It is showcasing the relationship that women have with time and the future, with family constantly at the forefront of the mind. It questions the need that society has for a family and the inescapable pressure it puts on women, who see it as a source of life and as a death sentence simultaneously.
It’s a beautiful song showcasing the artistry of two incredible musicians. Though it is well in sync with Cain’s vocal and lyrical style, it takes on a meaning entirely unique to von Hausswolff. The questions she asks her audience to think about are introspective and comforting, exhibiting a shared struggle women have with getting older.
In a time when art feels more like a machine to make the most money quickly, “Aging Young Women” is a song where each note was carefully crafted, and every rendition of the chorus invokes new and exciting feelings. If the song was any indication of the quality of the album, listeners were getting ready for a treat this Halloween.
