METHYL ETHEL - Hurts To Laugh EP (Review)
Defying expectations and changing my mind on a band in just 5 songs...
10th April 2020
Remote Control
My Rating:
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9.2
/10
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REVIEW
Jake Webb's psychedelic pop project Methyl Ethel is back with a brand new EP, and arguably their best and most ambitious collection of songs yet. Ever delivering upon quick followups, this latest EP comes just over a year after the group's last album Triage, an album I had numerous problems with when I reviewed it in early 2019. What was frustratingly notable to me about that record was the lack of distinctive characteristics that were desperately needed to set Methyl Ethel apart from other psychedelic pop artists, an issue particularly evident by how derivative many songs were of Tame Impala and MGMT, two titans in the scene that are (usually) far more creative and unique than Methyl Ethel was being (although since then Tame Impala has undeniably fallen behind the curve and fallen prey to many of the same problems that perpetrated Triage, but that's mostly irrelevant to this review).
What perplexes me most about this new Hurts to Laugh EP is that it was reportedly written alongside the rest of Triage, a fact I have a hard time comprehending given some night and day differences between the projects. For one, gone are the quirky but pretentious lyrics that rarely made for an engaging listen, replaced instead by a newfound sincerity and honesty that was only really alluded to on "Scream Whole" and nowhere else. No, these new songs are a definite step up from a songwriting perspective, encapsulating a feeling of isolation and loneliness, of disconnect and feigned laughter just as the title accurately points to; in this way, this EP couldn't be better timed during the alienation and tribulations of a pandemic-stricken world. More than that though, it's a continued headscratcher as to how on earth this was recorded in parallel to Triage, leading me to believe Jake Webb must have worked extremely hard in editing this to perfection, something evident from the immaculate production and gorgeously layered instrumentals.
Frustrating as it may be to keep reiterating the comparison between this and Triage, the points honestly write themselves and I find myself wondering at times how this is even the same group. In terms of the aforementioned instrumentals, Jake Webb has clearly taken a liking to a more varied sonic palette with this EP, showcasing a luscious piano on the track "Honest" that plays wonderfully into the track's revelation of self improvement, the lyrics simple and repetitive but delivered with such clear emotional potency. Moving on to the following track "Charm Offensive" and you're greeted by a pounding drum rhythm that leads you into the kaleidoscopic psychedelia of the song's synths and bass, yet satisfyingly never losing hold of the introductory pulse. Not only is it an instrumental choice that I respect, but it's so much stronger structurally than the washy, forgettable and indistinct passages on Triage. This mastery in structure is further exemplified on the song "What Memory Found", which takes a moment halfway through to fade out before introducing it's hypnotic third act, shepherded by Webb's fantastic vocal refrain. Although I wish this third act had gone on a little longer and found more ways to build on itself, it's still a great track and proof to me that this EP has no weak link.
What Methyl Ethel have done here is not simply defy all expectations I had for them, but rebuild their sound from the ground up not in an uprooting of their foundations but in a rewarding revamp that finally showcases the potential they always had but never previously reached for me. This is an incredible albeit brief release, and I very much look forward to where they go next.
TRACK RATINGS (/10)
1. Majestic AF - 9
2. Honest - 10
3. Charm Offensive - 9
4. What Memory Found - 8
5. The Quicker - 9
BREAKDOWN
Ambition: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Catchiness/Enjoyability: 9
Content/Ideas: 9
Emotion/Engaging: 10
Execution: 10
Production: 9
Structure: 10
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Lyrics: 8
Vocals/Flows: 10
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Total: 92
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Listen to Hurts To Laugh
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