Ethan P. Flynn

Ethan P. Flynn emerged early as a musical polymath whose rapid stream of experimental, lightly psychedelic pop already marked him as a seasoned indie figure by the time he turned 21 and presented a career-spanning collection as his first album. Based in London, the singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist had already forged notable partnerships with FKA twigs and David Byrne, after which he signed to the Young Turks label. Rather than booking studio time for a conventional full-length, he selected standout unreleased tracks from his existing archive, resulting in the September 2020 release B-Sides & Rarities, Vol. 1.

Born in Yorkshire, Flynn displayed his inventive gifts during adolescence, securing admission to the Guildhall School of Music in London, where he focused on electronic music. An accomplished home recordist from the outset, he drew from an eclectic range that encompassed Baroque pop, jazz, classic singer/songwriter traditions, and outsider noise. This stylistic omnivorousness extended to an ease with nearly any instrument he encountered, positioning him as a frequent collaborator with fellow Guildhall students including Jockstrap. While still enrolled, he contributed to David Byrne’s 2018 album American Utopia; the weight of that credit and the network it opened prompted him to leave Guildhall and commit fully to his own writing and recording.

An unplanned encounter with left-field pop artist FKA twigs took Flynn to Los Angeles, where he co-wrote multiple tracks for her 2019 Young Turks release Magdalene. Shortly thereafter he joined the Young Turks roster himself and issued his first official single, “Everybody’s Dying to Meet You,” which he had composed in Los Angeles during the Magdalene sessions. By then he had cultivated a demanding pace, often completing a song each day. From years of accumulated material he assembled a ten-track overview that Young Turks issued in September 2020 as B-Sides & Rarities, Vol. 1.