Somewhere along the way, Eden lost himself. The Irish musician, who was born as Jonathon Ng, clarifies that there’s no dramatic story—well, save for a temporary move out of London to the Oxfordshire countryside (a time that he remembers as “oppressive and intense”). But shortly after his debut album Vertigo, he felt the instinctual side of himself wither, a change that he attributes to suddenly becoming successful in a career that very few people find sustainable. However, it was working on No Future, his sophomore album that released last week, that helped Eden get back in touch with the flow. By giving himself over to the process, the artist found that once again, he was making the same, emotionally immediate, hip-hop-kissed electro pop. But while it may have been born from a confusing time in his life, No Future is full of lush layers of electronic instrumentals, playful samples, and Eden’s soulful alto—a sense of realism-permeated optimism that came as a surprise to its creator.



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“I just assumed this project was going to be pessimistic and dark,” Eden tells CR MEN of the album’s unexpectedly bleak title, which came to him before he began work. “I just kept making music and it just didn't sound like that at all. The more I sat with it, the more it really felt like ‘no future’ is kind of a quite positive way to live rather than a bad look in the world. It's about relinquishing the hold that ideas can have on you…[it’s the feeling of] ‘I'm just going to do this because I want to do this.’ It doesn't mean you can't plan for the future, just don't live in it. The moment I'm doing things for myself, everything else falls into place in a weird way.”

Drew Escriva

The positive state of mind that came with not overthinking the creative process, helped speed along the recording, done both in the countryside, London, and on various tour stops. (He points to the track “Projector” as a particularly intense burst of inspiration.) But while the instrumentation is languorous and often joyful, the lyrics often tell a different story. “I can’t see my way though/and I can’t be myself around you,” Eden sings on “Hertz,” reminding listeners that even the sultriest of his slow jams comes with a slice of realism. But for the artist, his pointed mediations on love and loss extend far past the romantic variety.

“I'm a pessimist in [some senses],” Eden explains. “There are a lot of things that are not working and are systematically broken. I don't think we're gonna ever fix, and hopefully there are unforeseen Band-Aids we can put on things. But other than massive cultural shifts, I don't see a very bright future for humans. But it doesn't keep me up at night. I am a hopeful person. There's a lot of kindness and beautiful things that happen in the world. But on the whole, I think we do not live as a society in a way that will allow us to continue.”

Drew Escriva

The environment is one biggest concerns currently weighing on Eden. But he’s encouraged by cultural markers like the popularity of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg (while still acknowledging that “a lot of kids don't care as well.”), and wants to encourage fellow artists and music fans to consider their role in the fight. “As a musician, I'm not in position to change things in as drastic a way as I'd like to,” he says. “Every piece of merch or album that we sale has a one dollar price increase to offset the production and shipping. We do big things while touring to reduce our footprint, and we also work with a lot with nonprofits. Carbon offsets, I don't think it's like a viable way to explore the whole world, but it's better than doing nothing.”

Eden’s quiet example has been working, albeit slowly. He recalls, with satisfaction, about a musician he admires, asking for advice on where to find sustainable clothing brands to partner with for band t-shirts. However, when it comes to his upcoming release and tour, he’s encouraging himself and his team to increase their conservation efforts.

Drew Escriva

“When the album comes out, we're going to sit down and do a comparison of how much we've put down compared to the previous album,” he explains. “How much have we cut our impact, and how much we've managed to save. It's easy to do. You don't need to not release music; you don't need to not tour. Musicians need to tour, release music, sell merch to pay their bills and be alive…there is a lot more that people can do that they don't realize. And, if this is the first domino in a wall of dominos that makes the whole industry change for a lot better, then great.”