Album Review: EDEN's No Future

Written by: Genevieve Oberholzer

Edited by: Maddie McVey

This past Valentine’s Day, EDEN released his sophomore studio album, No Future. Although the release date was purely serendipitous, it was refreshing for some, as No Future is a bittersweet album - a mix of elation and lamentation. That being said, the album is very “on-

brand” for EDEN.

The opening track “good morning” sets a hopeful beginning to the album. While the record takes a more heartening style initially, you will eventually feel the unmistakable EDEN gloom roll in. His mix of mellow guitar and electronic synthesizer will submerge you into a world of deep contemplation of the past and future. Throughout the album, EDEN’s signature backing-voice recordings shine through again, proving that his concept goes beyond the melody of the music.

Every album has transition songs, but EDEN’s are blatant. “Static,” “in,” and “out” serve that purpose well, making No Future seem like a film soundtrack. Some highlights of the album are “projector,” “isohel,” and “how to sleep.” “Projector” has an airy, reminiscent flow to it; lamenting past experiences. “Isohel” combines French lyrics with light guitar picking to convey a sense of sorrow. “How to sleep” deals with confusion and reverie. The more upbeat tracks are “hertz” and “????.” The song “2020” really well-represents the album, with lines like “All our future's melted in your hands, they're drowning us.” In an interview, EDEN said that he had been practicing that song especially for his upcoming tour. 

EDEN doesn’t leave the listener in a low state for long. Much like “good morning,” the final song “untitled” is reminiscent of the first hopeful track. If you listen to the whole album, you’ll have your time in the middle to mope, but you’ll come out in the same balanced mood as

when you first started listening.

That being said, I don’t think EDEN will achieve the same popularity as he did for his prior EPs. After listening through the album a few times, some songs were indistinguishable after a while. There were not many that would be appropriate to put into a playlist with other artists or

simply listen to on their own. It would seem out of place to listen to them without the context of the rest of the songs on the album. 

If the first EDEN song you heard came from No Future, I’m not sure you would be able to appreciate it for what it is. The album is a raw expression of EDEN’s growth as an artist, best understood by listening to some of his other works first. No Future unsurprisingly sounds very

similar to his first album, Vertigo. However, there are differences in style from his EPs, produced earlier in his career. With a much larger fan base in 2020 than in the past, EDEN is able to produce a more intimate album to share with more listeners. If you’re new to EDEN’s music, my advice would be to save this new album for last so you can recognize the nuances in his rhythm and lyrics.