ICYMI
London based producer EDEN has returned with his first full length project since 2020’s successful ‘no future’, but his third studio album might just be his best yet, as the artist continues to blossom into his own with his unique fusion of alt-pop, indietronica, and R&B. The LP follows standout, creative singles like ‘Modern Warfare’, ‘Sci-Fi’, ‘Balling’ and ‘Reaching 2’, which showed the artist honing his craft with more ambitious, almost glitchy, hyperpop leanings. The hyperpop sounds interestingly show EDEN coming full circle, after being an early influence himself in the scene and on artists like Ericdoa, and Underscores.
This album came to fruition after being entirely “written, recorded, performed, and produced by [real name] Jonathon Ng in Dublin, London, Miami, Cancun, and Los Angeles,” with the exception of a few instrumental/vocal contributions. Personally, I’ve not always been the biggest fan of EDEN’s music, more a fan of his trippy production style for artists like ATO than his own solo ventures, however ‘ICYMI’ really shows the Irish/Hong Kong artist strike a picture-perfect balance in his mesh of styles, finding necessary middle ground between his angsty indie pop song writing and electronic sound palette.
With tighter, more intimate song writing, somehow catchier hooks, and an admirable utilisation of atmospheric vibrations, futuristic synths, and druggy vocal experimentation, the LP creates a unique, immersive world, tackling themes of loss, and journeying us through his auditory odyssey with multi-genre instrumentals - sonically, it’s his most adventurous LP yet. These 11 songs certainly make an impact over the album’s runtime, all seamlessly fitting together in EDEN’s puzzling jigsaw of distinctive ambient field recordings, and downbeat dance instrumentals.
The multi-instrumentalist kicks things off with the cathartic ‘A Call’, a spoken word, atmospheric mood setter for the album’s ephemeral, evanescent tone. Sounds of birds tweeting, traffic passing and disjointed electronic synths build the cold, existential morning haze of Jonathon’s poetic story, building into a crescendo as he speaks melodramatically about the end of the world. ‘Balling’ is the albums first gorgeous highlight, with his trademark boyish, anxious vocals, picking away at his acoustic guitar as ambient sounds flutter in the background. His flawless vocal performance carries significantly heavy emotional weight, akin to the apprehension of change and growing up displayed in Frank Ocean’s ‘Ivy’.
Effortlessly transitioning into the more dance influenced ‘Sci-Fi’, EDEN’s cries of ‘I just wanna hear your voice in the morning’ continue the LP’s passionate, sensitive nature. Despite the more radio friendly drums and rhythm, the song does not trade commercial appeal for lack of substance. ‘Modern Warfare’ features pitchy, autocrooned vocals, and glitch-pop esque production. Whilst the ideas in this track appear occasionally fleeting, it still packs a punch with its melancholy, intoxicated instrumental.
‘Waiting room’ features almost IDM, ambient techno, or microhouse noises in it’s first 45 seconds, before floating into strings and more falsetto vocals. Feeling like more of a transitionary interlude than a fleshed-out song concept, the album picks up steam on ‘Closer 2’. With more glitchy, otherworldly sound effects and sentimental song writing, EDEN sings of being “proud of my tears, proud to be alone, proud of my highs, proud of my lows” amongst progressively rising synths and kick drums. Stylistically, it sounds like EDM played through a cheap speaker, or even hearing the muffled sounds of thumping club music from outside of the venue.
‘PS1’ is another strong track, with more sombre, laidback vocals, but a hypnotic, malfunctioning electronic beat. ‘Call Me Back’ is a 6:20 minute, epic creative highpoint for the artist, with a raw sound palette in the first two thirds of the track, confronting themes of grief, and loneliness as his words become more fervent and almost full of tears, before breaking down into a fireworks display of energy and pent up distress.
Penultimate track ‘Elsewhere’, another 6-minute cut, feels like a lugubrious comedown, spent sat on your front doorstep smoking a cigarette to distract from your overthinking, subdued mind, breathing in fresh air and smoke whilst trying your best to avoid acknowledging any of your problems. It’s a powerful track, with a nightmarish and distorted experimental climax, building emotional tension before stripped back, acoustic balladry.
‘Reaching 2’, the final track brings everything to its conclusion with driving drums, poetic melodies, and painful lyrics like ‘didn’t feel the time slip by, didn’t know that was the last goodbye’. Another mature track, which continues to show how EDEN has upped his game with his rare blend of sonics and influences. The result is a very tonally consistent record, but at times it’s a hard pill to swallow with its difficult, funereal lyrics and resonant subject matter. Whilst it’s occasionally tough to differentiate certain tracks, and some of his lyrics are too vague to seek personal refuge, the album still does a terrific job at building a strong sense of anxiety and regret through its bleak instrumentation and stylistic decisions.
Listen to the album here.