Are You Haunted? is set to arrive next month!
Image: Xan Thorrhoea.
Western Australian alt-pop Methyl Ethel has announced the release of their hotly-anticipated fourth album, Are You Haunted?, due out next month! The project of musical mastermind Jake Webb, we've been treated to the first taste of the album with Proof, their collaboration with singer-songwriter Stella Donnelly.
On the track, Webb and Donnelly's captivating vocals come together in a call-and-response format that has the two artists playing off each other with Webb commenting Proof is “a song about truth and movies”. Building to a flourishing euphoric synth break, the song brings Methyl Ethel's signature attention to detail and refined production, leaving us hungry for more. The release arrives alongside a monochromatic visual, self-directed by Webb, with nods to German Expressionist film.
“Stella is one of the most truth-telling artists I’ve ever heard,” Webb says of working with Donnelly. “It made for a perfect match.” Donnelly adds, "Working on Proof with Jake felt like being invited to the set of your favourite movie, such an insightful and wonderful experience.”
Featuring the previously released singles Neon Cheap and Matters, Are You Haunted? marked Webb's return to the studio where Methyl Ethel was born. Early on in his career, the musician worked out of the studio owned by his friend, who recently passed away. “I spent many years of experimentation with him, learning so much looking over his shoulder. It feels special to continue to share the space with his ghost, I’m still learning from him.”
Methyl Ethel will return to the stage for a string of shows over the coming months, kicking off with a set at Perth Festival on February 25. The run of shows will continue on to Meadow Festival in Bambra, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, before wrapping up at Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay.
Are You Haunted? is out February 18. Watch the visual for Proof below.
METHYL ETHEL TOUR DATES
Fri 25 Feb – Perth Festival, Perth, WA
Sat 26 Mar – Meadow Festival, Bambra, VIC
Thur 21 April – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, QLD
Fri 22 April – Roundhouse, Sydney, NSW
Wed 27 April – The Night Cat, Melbourne, VIC
Thur 28 April - TheNight Cat, Melbourne, VIC
Fri 29 April - The Night Cat, Melbourne, VIC
Sat 23 July – Splendour in the Grass, Byron Bay, NSW