Methyl Ethel Essentials

Jake Webb started Methyl Ethel in 2013 as a challenge. Would it be possible, he wondered, to write, record and release music solo before his band at the time did the same? Not only was the answer yes, but such was the acclaim that greeted early output such as “Poison Peach” and “Tilted” that Webb felt compelled to transform Methyl Ethel from a home recording project into a touring act. As with Western Australian scene contemporaries such as Tame Impala and Luke Steele, Methyl Ethel exist in a genre-defying world that could loosely be termed “synth-driven psych-pop”, although early efforts such as “Tilted” owe a significant debt to the shoegaze genre. As Methyl Ethel have progressed, so too has Webb’s embracing of myriad sounds and genres–it’s why you’ll hear a wailing sax solo in the woozy, spacey indie rock of “Twilight Driving”; pulsing R&B bass in the dance-floor-ready “Scream Whole”; and ’70s synth-funk in “Trip the Mains”. Meanwhile, 2020’s “Majestic AF” suggests an outfit heading further into claustrophobic Radiohead electronic territory—although when it comes to Methyl Ethel, there’s no such thing as one single direction.