[SONG OF THE DAY] Methyl Ethel - "Majestic AF"

image courtesy of Methyl Ethel

Just a week after their third studio full-length Triage officially turned a year old West Australia’s Methyl Ethel have returned with a brand new single along with news of a brand new EP and a slew of tour dates. The new track, “Majestic AF”, is a captivating opening for the forthcoming EP, Hurts To Laugh, which is due out on April 10th. Full of a variety of burbling synth melodies, kick-free drum beats, and brainchild Jake Webb’s signature falsetto, it comes of somewhat minimalist at first and then builds incrementally, incorporating layer upon layer of texture until it swiftly comes to a close.

Hurts To Laugh was recorded at the same time as Triage, so it’s fitting that both album covers feature art by Sydney-based artist Loribelle Spriovski. Despite being recorded simultaneously, Triage was the final of the trilogy of albums, following 2016’s Oh Human Spectacle and 2017’s Everything Is Forgotten.

On the heels of the release update, the band unveiled a slew of solo tour dates in Australia and support dates in the US for Peter, Bjorn, and John in March and April.

Did the whistling from “Young Folks” immediately slam straight into your head the second you saw their name, too?

ANYWAY.

Tickets for the dates in Australia go on sale tomorrow (2/28) over on their website.

PS - the Webby Hall date is 3 days before my birthday, so you should come party with me I am just saying.

Methyl Ethel - Solo - Tour Dates [Australia]
Wed 15 April - The Outpost, Brisbane
Thur 16 April - The Night Cat, Melbourne
Fri 17 April -  Mary’s Underground, Sydney
Sun 19 April - Goodwill Club, Perth
Tickets on sale Friday 28 February via methylethel.com 

Methyl Ethel - Solo - Supporting Peter, Bjorn & John [USA]
Mon 23 March - Teregram Ballroom, Los Angeles CA
Tues 24 March - La Santa, Santa Ana CA
Wed 25 March - New Parish, Oakland CA
Fri 27 March - Doug Fir Lounge, Portland OR
Sat 28 March - Crocodile, Seattle WA
Tues 31 March - Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City UT
Wed 1 April - Bluebird, Denver CO
Fri 3 April - Amsterdam, St. Paul MN
Sat 4 April - Empty Bottle, Chicago IL
Sun 5 April - Loving Touch, Ferndale MI
Tues 7 April - Johnny Brendas, Philadelphia PA
Wed 8 April - Union Stage, Washington DC
Fri 10 April - Webster Hall, New York City NY
Sat 11 April - Brighton Music Hall, Boston MA

Hurts To Laugh EP

Release Date: April 10, 2020

1. Majestic AF
2. Honest
3. Charm Offensive
4. What Memory Found
5. The Quicker

pre-order

[Review] Kings of Convenience @ Webster Hall 6/12/2010

Assumptions I had made about Kings of Convenience before arriving at Webster Hall last Saturday night:

#1- Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe would barely speak English

#2- they would be incredibly shy

#3- the audience would be mostly talk over the entire show.

You know what they say about what happens when you assume right? Yeah... 

First of all this precious Norwegian duo were very chatty. Not only were they chatty but they spoke in non-broken English (a feat that dare I say Sondre Lerche was unable to do the first few times I saw him live years ago). In between songs they were cracking jokes with the audience and telling stories of playing New York years before. I think my favorite joke of the night went something like this:"This show sold out three months in advance, that means you guys are incredibly organized." It's one thing to be as talented as they are, but to be as fast on their feet as they were in a language that wasn't their native tongue was pretty impressive to me.

Top make things even better, the "incredibly organized" crowd that came out to catch KoC were probably one of the quietest crowds I've experienced in awhile. When I say quiet I of course mean not being that douchebag in the middle of the crowd trying to chat loudly to his buddy next to him why "Stay Out Of Trouble" is the sickest jam he's ever heard. Granted, they do not typically attract that kind of crowd, but it's New York so I find myself expecting the worst and being pleasantly surprised when I'm mistaken. 

It's also important to note that Franklin For Short (the band who opened for them) worked out wonderfully as KoC's back up band during the songs that just wouldn't sound right without a full band. You can really get an idea of how talented they are by how easily they were able to play songs that weren't their own. I always find it amusing to watch two bands play together to see how well they play off each other and they were definitely a great fit for each other. 

If you have a chance to be incredibly organized and catch Kings of Convenience on this tour, I would highly recommend it. 

You can check out all my other photos here. 

Bottle rating: 

4.5 out of 5