Methyl Ethel

Since emerging from Perth, Australia, in 2013 in his early 20s, Jake Webb has proved that Kevin Parker isn’t the only heady synth-pop visionary in town. On his 2016 debut as Methyl Ethel, Oh Inhuman Spectacle, Webb presented himself as a home-recording savant who could effortlessly thread the needle through ‘70s soft rock, ‘80s dream pop and 21st-century indie, with a quivering androgynous voice that enhanced the project’s intimate charm. Even after turning Methyl Ethel into a four-piece touring act, Webb has retained his auteurist approach in the studio, handling pretty much all of the instrumentation. However, subsequent releases have greatly expanded his sound through punchier songcraft (see: the futurist glam rock of 2017’s “Ubu”) and baroque synth-sparkled arrangements (2018’s “Scream Whole”), while a sweeping radio-session cover of Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River” betrayed his latent pop-star affinities. Methyl Ethel may be a one-man band at its core, but Webb isn’t afraid to go—as his heart-racing 2020 single puts it—”Majestic AF”.