Ahead of his highly-anticipated full-length debut album, 22-year old Johnathan Ng – better known as EDEN – intrigues with his distinct, superb single “start//end.”

22-year old alternative/electronic musician EDEN (Johnathon Ng) releases his first full-length project, vertigo.  Ng’s 2016 effort I think you think too much of me was comprised of just seven tracks. In advance of Vertigo, featuring 13 tracks, singles “start//end,” “crash,” and “gold” were released.  Four our purposes, we’ll focus on the five-and-a-half juggernaut, “start//end.”

“start//end” is intriguing from the start. Opening with lovely, lush, robust strings, EDEN sets the tone for an adventurous music rise.  There’s a distinct, expressiveness about his voice, drawing the listener in.  He’s comes off incredibly authentic, emotional, and passionate, singing on the verse, “You try to kill it but it won’t stop bleeding / Try to forget it but it won’t stop kill you.” Sigh – Ng’s pain is our pleasure – does this qualify as schadenfreude?

Following the dramatic verse, the pre-chorus begins to shift “start//end.” “Is this burning, right? Am I living bridges? / Can we build our past, right? / Learning through future solecism.” Unstable, it’s intriguing and makes the listener wonder, where is EDEN going with this.  This unpredictability piques interest for sure. It continues onto through the chorus, where the identity of “start//end” continues to be crafted lyrically and musically.

“(I’ve missed times) It’s played out / (Been disconnected) I’ve moved on / (I stressed time) Get fucked up / (Forgetting timing) My new draw.”

The electronic vibe and a sense of stability and groove establish themselves on the bridge, successive chorus. Finally, the second verse arrives, with the clear identity of the record established, intact with those lush strings, electronic backdrop, etc.

Final Thoughts

“start//end” is a lengthy listen, but it’s a brilliant, stupendous one through and through.  EDEN has a surefire gem on his hands that serves as an excellent preview as to what vertigo will comprise of.  The liberal, more free approach he takes throughout the course of this song makes it distinct and unlike anything else that we hear every day on radio.  He clearly outdoes himself.

EDEN • vertigo • Astralwerks • Release: 1.19.18

Photo Credit: Astralwerks