Words by Andy Kovacic //

Methyl Ethel, the project of homegrown deep-thinker Jake Webb, has just released soul-searching EP Hurts To Laugh. It’s kaleidoscope of sound will have you bouncing off the walls like you just don’t care. Just follow the philosophy of Methyl Ethel. Let loose. Have fun. And feel something.

Jake lives and breathes music. He says so himself, making records in isolation is nothing new – it’s ritual. Over the line, Jake comes across as one of those real musicians that just can’t help but create and create. He’s a true songsmith. He’s always chasing the chaotic energy that comes with musical unorthodoxy.

That’s why it should come as no surprise that his EP draws inspiration from the left field – and I mean way left field. I’m talking about YouTube profanities, human dishonesty and the unexpected charm of a little ol’ place called North Korea. Unsure how this random jumble of unrelated things makes their way onto the same EP? Well, my chat with Methyl Ethel’s brainchild has all the answers.

Before you take a joyride through Methyl Ethel’s new sound, take a moment to appreciate Jake’s unapologetic descent into even more exotically produced music. The EP drips with moodiness, yet at the same time delivers bouncy beats to keep us on our toes. It’s turmoil and harmony all at once. Experimental artistry is what overpowers all those flavours of the month.

It’s bands like Methyl Ethel that remind us to stray a little outside the lines once in a while. That’s where we find those special things that are brave, unexpected and real.

How have you kept yourself grounded during this crazy time?

Well I mean I’m just trying to keep working, I suppose. I would have been on tour right now, so I think I’ve just had to shift gear and go back to working on new music.

Staying in touch with the band?

Uhhh…yeah. I’m lucky in the way that I make all my records isolated, so it falls within the scope of the rules. I’ve been staying in touch with everyone, but they’re kinda scattered all over the place. But in terms of the music, I make everything myself.

Before we talk more about the present, let’s talk about the past. A few weeks ago, Triple J’s Hottest 100 of the Decade came out and your song ‘Ubu’ came #101. You’ve been a tad unlucky with the ranking but at the same your song is one of Australia’s fav tracks of the decade – that must feel pretty unreal?

It’s pretty nice that people enjoy it enough to spend 25 cents on text messaging it in or whatever…well it’s probably on the internet now [laughs]. It makes me sound so old but I’m not that old. But it’s cool. I appreciate that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P56OpE_qDo8

Your most recent album ‘Triage’ came out last year. Now we have this EP. Do you see ‘Hurts To Laugh’ as simply an extension of that album or is it something else entirely?

It’s not B-sides or anything – it’s definitely its own little body of work but I completed them at the same time and they definitely are connected. I wanted them to be seen as sort of ‘partnered’ in a way.

I think this EP shows a bit of a different side to the Methyl Ethel we all know. Do you think ‘Hurts To Laugh’ shows us something new?

I would like to think so. Cause that’s kind of the point – to show a different side, try to improve upon things I’ve done previous, and I think, yeah, this EP is a bit ‘free-er’ in a way. It leaves some things a bit ‘more rough’ but also it attempts some things that I haven’t probably attempted before.

There’s also notable focus in this EP on letting the music itself shine. Do you believe music can sometimes speak for itself?

Absolutely. Absolutely. I think knowing when to shut-up is really important.

Do you think that’s lost sometimes?

Well, I like a lot of classical music, a lot of instrumental music, and a lot of electronic instrumental music as well. But I doappreciate people who are good lyricists and things like that. So, there is definitely…I mean all you have to do is listen to that brand-new Bob Dylan song that came out, he’s a master. And people like Courtney Barnett and the Courtney Barnetts of the world. People who have a really original voice in so far as their songwriting goes. I really appreciate that. But at the same time, the music has always had the power to evoke an emotional response. And that’s what I chase when I’m writing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRxav8MMFYI

Let’s talk a bit about the title track ‘Majestic AF’. This song is filled with some loaded questions. What answers are you asking us to reach?’

I’m just posing the questions really.

Why did you call it ‘Majestic AF’?

Years ago, somebody left a comment on a YouTube video we made. And it just said that – ‘wow this is majestic as fuck’. And I just thought it was sooo funny and one of the most profound things anyone has ever said. Because it is a very profound statement. If you want me to comment on what the name means to me it’s that – it’s just navigating through something and feeling like your being really nimble but you’re actually just being kind of ham-fisted about it. Or like…the thought that sometimes the most useful approach is the one that is the most wrong.

But this isn’t to say what the song is about or anything – the title I came across when I was making the beginning and the bones of the song. And then the song sort of flows a bit more as a stream-of-consciousness and yeah…I think all you have to do is read the lyrics. They are pretty cut and dry, they are what they are. I’m saying all that I need to say in the song.

Why did you choose to release this song first?

To be honest, I didn’t really choose it. I think my label and management team decided that was the one [laughs]. I mean it’s a difficult question on what song to release or what is ‘the one’. But we’ve played that song live a few times on our Australian tour and it seemed to get a pretty good response. I don’t know – it’s kinda bold, it’s pretty bold in my opinion. It’s just out there. Like I said, I’m saying what I wanna say in the song and there’s nothing too hidden about it all.

In your song ‘What Memory Found’ you talk a lot about time. Is this a song about changing the past or the future?

I think it’s all of that. I suppose that the voice of the verses is like a mantra making promises to change and change the future and change the behaviours of the past. And then…the voice of the chorus is more of an overarching comment on memory and time and sort of how foggy it all is, I suppose.

‘Honest’ is a powerful, conflicted song. And there’s an interesting lyric that reads, ‘Now I’m coming clean. Now I’m coming out’. What’s the truth that wants to get out?

I think regardless of how much of an honest person you are – you are always hiding something from the world. And whether it is a very large sort of skeleton in the closet or something simple, it still churns the internal organs up in a similar way. Maybe it’s just human nature to go through life hiding things from people, hiding who you really are, I think… dare I say it… a lot of our collective mental health has a lot to do with how we want to be publicly received and how we feel behind that sort of façade. And that’s the idea behind it – it’s kind of a battleground.

You think it’s so hard to be honest about our feelings because of public opinion?

I think the public being anybody that we interact with outside our internal world. So, whether it is to your own parents or the people closest to you. I see language and see everything that comes out of us is somehow like contrived or manipulated or twisted in a way that renders it slightly dishonest. Because we’re always trying to be tactful in these ways. Or at least, that’s just my idea.

By contrast to some of the other tracks on your EP, ‘Charm Offensive’ seems to be more upbeat. But this isn’t just a simple love song is it?

No. It’s kind of about an abusive relationship, like physically abusive. That’s where the idea for it came from – somebody caught in an abusive relationship and also the love of that kind.

The title ‘Charm Offensive’ seems very tied to subject of the song.

Yeah. I came across that…I was listening to a program on ABC Radio National and they were describing the… I think it was North Korea at the Winter Olympics and how… I think it was the Winter Olympics? Well, anyway, the event that North Korea ended up attending and competing in – they described their approach as a ‘charm offensive’, as in North Korea were sort of attacking the world with their charms, which I thought was really interesting.

I’ve noticed you’ve used a lot of different instruments, a lot of different sounds, in this EP. For example, ‘The Quicker’ starts and ends with a delicate piano tune. Talk me through the production of this track.

Well, I like these little themes that have an uneven polyrhythm. And having them as a little motif within the song. Apart from that, there’s a lot of hum; a little guitar orchestra sort of thing. And yeah, that’s how it came about.

Tell me about ‘Jake the Songwriter’, what’s the creative process when you start to create new music?

Lately, I lie on the floor when I’m writing lyrics.

On your back?

On my front. I do pace a lot. I record very little before I finish writing the song. I also try to come up with more of the ideas in my head because I feel like I lose too much time noodling around on instruments. And I think, I read it somewhere that Burt Bacharach – if he was stuck recording one of his songs – he’d go to the bathroom and sit down and figure it all out. So, I’m trying to take that approach.

There’s just so many options as well with computers and instruments and things so I think that if I come up with it in my head then it will probably be a better idea than if I come up with it with my hands.

Let’s talk about art for a hot minute. The cover art of the EP is by Loribelle Spirovski, who we all know and love. What did you see in this artwork that inspired you to make it the face of your new EP?

It’s just so gorgeous. I love the aesthetic of it and I just love her and her work and so it was a no-brainer for me.

I also spied that Loribelle is painting a portrait of you, am I going to see Mr. Webb in the Archibald Prize or something?

…Maybe. Maybe. I feel really honoured to call her a friend of mine.

You’ve always pushed outside the boundaries. Do you ever think you’ll go another direction in music?

Yeah, I dream of certain things. I’d love to collaborate with someone to compose like an orchestra. I think I would like to do some more like really experimental things. I’ve got plenty of little avenues that I will end up exploring over the years. But at the moment I’m really pouring it all into this project because I feel so lucky to be able to, you know?

I feel at this stage, the people who listen and follow this music are open to whatever I will do. And I think the good thing about this project is that it reminds me to keep the fun in the music because often I get really cerebral and try to intellectualise the project too much. I love to be able to dance to the music as well, that’s also really good because there’s nothing wrong with having fun with the music as well [laughs]. It can get all a bit too serious. But you can also do both at the same time, which is also really great.

What’s in the future?

I’m always excited about what is on the horizon and I feel like there are good things on the horizon, and I think that’s for everybody. It’s shocking and real tough, and a really difficult time. For me, personally, I’m just going to try and keep working on what I’m working on and have some more things for people to listen and watch and all that sort of thing in the not-so-distant future. I guess that’s my part in it – just to try and make some more stuff.

‘Hurts To Laugh’ is out now via Dot Dash/Remote Control. Listen here.