Album Review: EDEN, no future

Right under our noses, Johnny Ng, better known to his ever-growing online fanbase as EDEN, has become Ireland’s most thrilling pop prospect – clocking up over a billion streams on the back of a compellingly introspective approach to EDM-flavoured indie-pop.

While his sophomore effort, no future, is notably darker than his previous releases, it also marks the culmination of EDEN’s gradual journey towards radio-ready pop, and his inevitable breakthrough into the mainstream.

From opener ‘good morning’, he unapologetically wears his Frank Ocean influence on his sleeve – drawing from the Blonde icon’s lovelorn themes, confessional lyrics and layered ambient synths. Like Ocean, as well as post-R&B torchbearers Khalid and Daniel Caesar, EDEN plays into the nostalgia and anxieties of millenials and Gen Zers, most notably on standout single ‘love, death, distraction’ – a sensitive reflection on the dark effects of social media. Yet, while his musings on his generation’s ennui are powerful, across a weighty 19 tracks, no future is occasionally guilty of giving-in to the lethargy.

His left-of-centre production style and raw electronic roots prevent no future from falling fully under the umbrella of neatly packaged pop, particularly towards the second half of the album – ‘$treams’, for instance, creatively samples the error sound from a Mac, with stunning results.

EDEN undoubtedly has a bolder album still inside him, but for now, no future is another solid step on his path to world domination.