- Jake Webb’s third studio album under the moniker Methyl Ethel, Triage, is his most polished and considered release yet. The suite of tracks embodies its title, taking stock of the experiences that comprise a coming-of-age, without ever slowing into static retrospection. Live, Methyl Ethel have gained a reputation for surrealist, guitar-driven, dreampop prime for festival punters, but the arrangements on the record have been demonstrably pored over by Webb, whose introduction of warm piano tones gives the release a glossy nostalgia.
Opening track Ruiner sets the pace for the following eight songs, with synths fit for a John Hughes’ film, planting the listener firmly in the territory of endless adolescence. Webb has previously spoken about his disinclination to expand on the source material for his lyrics, hesitant to cloud the personal relationship listeners have with stories. All The Elements develops hazy vignettes with just enough detail to flesh out a narrative which revolves around the inability to speak in a crucial moment. Its virtue lies in the ease with which listeners can insert themselves into the song’s scenes, “lying on the living room floor,” or “pacing in the kitchen”, “waiting for something to be said”.
On Tripping the Mains, Jake captures the fear of being caught out: missing somebody too obviously, or ‘short-circuiting’ at the instant where a response is expected. In the opening verse, synths flare behind the vocal line like destabilising headlights. Post-blue divides the album in two, and is its airiest track. Webb’s treacly voice gives into the quickening pace of a song where regret or sadness around leaving a person morphs gradually into weightless relief. The transition sneaks up on us, marked by the introduction of delicate piano melodies and really delightful experimentation with higher vocals that dance over the top of the mix.
Final track No Fighting mirrors the opener. Jake’s exasperation with himself is met by warm organs and pacy basslines. He sings “I don’t feel revived”, but is nonetheless propelled forwards into whatever the future holds. While the album is laboured and introspective, its inviting complexity is sure to lay the groundwork for a maximalist live performance that involves the newly expanded five-piece band, animating the landscape of Jake Webb’s imagination. The agonising is done, the tough choices of Triage have been made for us and all that's left for the audience is an almost guiltily easy pleasure.
- Aleisha McLaren.