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Morrisey, the lead singer, once had a friendship with Bowie. Both came togethet to cover another influence on The Smith's, T-Rex, and his song "Cosmic Dancer," in a 1991 concert at Inglewood Forum. (Morrissey, 2020) Johnny Marr also stated in a 2023 interview, that a Smith's song, "Hand In Glove," was influenced by the classic Bowie song, "Rebel, Rebel." (RadioX, 2023) Marr also stated in relation to his and his Electronic partner, Bernard Sumner of Joy Divison and New Order,  “Musically, we [him and Sumner] both really liked David Bowie" and "The one constant [inspiration] for us was David Bowie’s Low and the track ‘Warszawa’" (Potter, 2022) David Bowie being both a friend and a huge musical inspiration to boththe lead vocalist and guitarist of The Smith's, is evidently a big factor on their sound as a whole.

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T. Rex was a glam rock band founded by Marc Bolan in 1967. As mentioned in David Bowie's section, Bowie and lead singer of The Smith's Morrissey, covered the T. Rex song "Cosmic Dancer."  The T. Rex album The Slide has been cited by guitarist Johnny Marr as his favourite; stating "I always say that T. Rex were my band when I was a kid. What I mean by that is so much of my identity was about being a T. Rex fan"
(The Quietus, Freeman, 2013) There also has been many sources of people saying The Smith's song "Panic" was based on the T. Rex song "Metal Guru", and though there aren't direct sources for this, the similarities are striking in my opinion.

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Florence + The Machine are in indie rock band originating from London, England. They, in particular the lead singer Florence Welch, have been a big, or rather, the biggest influence on Ethel Cain's music. One obvious pointer towards this is Ethel Cain joining her on the song "Morning Elvis" which they have performed while on tour together recently. Florence and Ethel both have soft and similar voices, although used in different ways - they both have congruent styles and aesthetics. In an interview with Our Culture magazine, Cain was quoted as saying, "[her friends] started introducing me to like, Florence, who became my biggest musical inspiration of all time" (K. Pappis, 2021)

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Harmony Korine paved his name as a director by creating very uniquely raw takes on the unseen skeleton closet of Americana. From exploring the partying, sex, and drugs indulged in by teenagers of New York in the 1990s, in his movie "Kids"
To the isolated small town in the aftermath of a tornado in Gummo. Where it explores dirtier, heartbreaking aspects of Southern life, and horrifically, children who kill and sell cats. Harmony Korine's unadulterated look at perhaps revolting aspects of the American childhood fits like a glove in Ethel Cain's own Floridian underbelly. One clear influence of Korine's film-making, is in her music video 'Crush', where not only the handheld camera quality outfitting the grunge aesthetic well; but the movie "Gummo" playing behind on a box TV in the background while she sings.

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The Carpenters were an American pop duo consisting Karen and Richard Carpenter that gained popularity during the 1970s. The musical style is quite orchestral in a light and delicately sparing way - with the use of keyboards and organs interspersed with strings and horns. The subject matter in their songs leans very toward love and heartbreak. The duo are cemented in history as a quintessential example of musical Americana, and Ethel Cain's musical style was definitely influenced by them. Considering that Christian music "was really all that we were able to listen to... The one non-Christian band that [her] mother loved was The Carpenters." (K. Pappis, 2021), it's evident they shaped her subject matter's to focus the American dream - or lack thereof; as well as the same introspection and heartfelt love/heartbreak songs, consistent with the Carpenters. Though there's no direct link between them and her music, the Carpenters are definitely one of Ethel Cain's earliest musical influences.

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The New York Dolls were (shockingly) a rock band formed in New York City, circa 1971. They were a nascent form of the punk rock genre that evolved later in the years with bands such as Velvet Underground and the Sex Pistols. The New York Dolls had a profound and extreme impact on Morrissey, The Smith's lead singer. So much so, that he wrote an entire book on the band, as well as being the head of their UK fan club. In 2004, also, Morrissey arranged and organised a reunion of the band at Royal Festival Hall. Their musical style is described as hard rock that predated both punk rock and heavy metal (Erlewine, n.d.)
Their early glam-rock style as well as their exuding confidence can be heard in The Smith's own styles, albeit with their own Briticisms melding into their sound.

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The Smiths were an English rock band formed in 1982. They were set apart from the more synth-driven approaches that started to engulf the popular music of the 1980s, with their acoustic indie songs. The songwriting was comprised of Johnny Marr, the guitarist, and the lead singer, Morrissey, and the songwriting itself is what influences me the most from The Smith's catalogue. The writing is at times very poetic, such as in the songs "I Know It's Over," and "Asleep." They also apply satire, especially with the sarcasm in the song "Cemetry Gates," and they can also have morbid, dark humour, such as in the song "Girlfriend In A Coma." Since finding them in early 2020, they have become one of my favourite bands, and Morrissey's unique voice developed a distinct sound which I love.

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Ethel Cain, is a 23 year old singer from Florida, she creates a starkly angelic and rawly sensual take on southern gothic pop music, very reminiscent of the grunge-y and brutally honest humanity shown in Harmony Korine's films. With a voice as soft as Melanie Martinez, Lana Del Rey or Imogen Heap, she's explicit, tackling love, religion, trauma and toxicity in a unique ethereal way. She blends the aesthetic of a rural church in late 20th century America, with modern folk-pop sounds and topics. She's collaborated with Goth Money Records artist Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, as well as recently touring with Florence and The Machine. Her lyrics, a balance between harsh reality:
"I owe you a black eye and two kisses" (Cain, 2021, Crush)
And poetic imagery:
"Sun bleached flies sitting in the windowsill" (Cain, 2022, Sun Bleached Flies)
Her music really resonates with me and inspires me to write as rawly and vulnerably as she does. Also her folk-y ethereal voice presents can create a very creepy and unsettling atmosphere that I would like to replicate in my own sound. Especially borrowing the esoteric occult sounds of Sematary.

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Yung Lean, or Jonatan Leandoer is a Swedish rapper who is well-known for his influential and pioneering take on cloud rap when the genre was in its infancy. He broke out almost immediately with one of his first songs, "Ginseng Strip 2002", gaining attention on YouTube. His vaporwave-influenced, soft and ethereal synths blending with early trap drums akin to Soulja Boy or a lighter, less aggressive Chief Keef. Sematary has mentioned in an interview with complex that Yung Lean inspired him to become a rapper, citing his Warlord Tour in 2015 being a catalyst. He also mentioned that Leandoer was his "dream feature" on his music. (Complex, 2023)
Many fans of both Sematary and Yung Lean have noted the similarities in the two. Not in sound or style, but the equal focus on aesthetic, cult fanbase, and internet presence. There is an obvious crossover between the two fanbases.

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Chief Keef or Sosa is a rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He broke out in 2011-12 when he was 16 with his song "I Don't Like" as well as his iconic mixtape "Finally Rich" containing songs like "Laughing To The Bank" and "Love Sosa"
These have since been identified as songs that pioneered the trap and drill sound, and become classic trap anthems that many rappers from generations since Sosa have been influenced by. Such as Yung Lean, Sematary, Lil Durk, and Summrs to name very few. Sematary has interpolated flows from Sosa as well.
His verse from Ballout's song, 'Been Balling' he says:
"Chief Sosa, baby, I been ballin' hard, no discount
Three cars, six houses, you can't tell me shit now"
And in Sematary's song 'Haunted Mound Reapers' he says:
"Sematary pull up with two knives, do ya funky town
I'ma take your jaw bone, you can't tell me shit now"
Where he obviously combines a serial killer / esoteric / gothic aesthetic with a Chief Keef lyric to merge into a unique mesh.

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Salem is an electronic band comprised of Jack Donoghue, John Holland, and formerly Heather Marie Marlatt. They formed in 2008 and pioneered the genre of Witch House. They influenced Sematary's sound dramatically, even by ear the detuned and gliding saw synths on songs like TAXIDERMY and HEFFALUMPS from his 2020 joint tape with Ghost Mountain: "Hundred Acre Wrist", in which he samples Salem's song "tretts" in LOUISVILLE SLUGGER. Sematary also interpolated the melody of Salem's song Baby Boi in a soundcloud exclusive single titled "HOLLOWS"
While the messy old school 808/909 drums and slower pace of Salem's songs may be incongruent with Sematary's aggressive distortion and 2011 trap drums, he wears the influence of Salem and Witch House on his sleeves, blending in their musical style and occult aesthetic with his other influences. Salem's style has also influenced my own music with the creepy and slowed-down esoteric sound they incorporate. With my own production and my own beats I try and replicate their sound sometimes, so they not only are Sematary's influence but mine too.

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Sematary is a rapper from North California, who specialises in creating dark, esoteric trap music with murder-like aggression. Wearing his pop culture influences on his sleeve, like Chief Keef, Yung Lean, Salem as well as movies such as Mad Max: Fury Road, The VVitch, and the Firefly Trilogy. He blends the anthemic 808s and chopsquad snares reminiscent of Chief Keef's album Finally Rich, with Salem's detuned witch-house synths, and punk/black metal samples from Lifelover to Misfits. His aesthetic, lyrical choices (referencing cult classic movies, and drinking red bulls in a cornfield, sounding like a weird country kid that loves trap music) as well as overall aggression inspire and influence my own music. He has a strong identity and his sound is very his own, whilst maintaining obvious influences, just making it unique without stealing anything. He is one of the few people I see currently creating a blend between trap and witch-house, two genres I love, so he influences my music inexorably.