Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Album: EDEN - ICYMI [2022]

EDEN's third full-length album was something I was looking forward to, both excited to hear new EDEN music after a long while and in hoping for the sound I knew and loved. no future was a bit of a letdown for me, especially in the shadow of the arguably perfect records vertigo and i think you think too much of me. I couldn't really soak into the extremely electronically infused sound with no future, only enjoying a minority of tracks like isohel and love, death and distraction.

ICYMI, sadly, did not see a return to form, which I admit I was a bit disappointed by. This record's sound seems to be a spiritual successor to the previous, only with much less music. Both the track count and runtime barely go over half of no future's, which only adds to the disappointment. It feels like he only has remnants of his former glory scattered in this record. Duvidha tries to be interestingly quirky but comes off as rather odd, A Call seems like it's meant to be poetic and serious but just sounds awfully pretentious, Waiting Room is a subpar interlude that feels more like a garbled mess than anything substantial.

I don't want to bash this record more than it deserves, it has some good moments and tracks to offer. The singles are the best of this bunch, and honestly quite decent compared to the rest of EDEN's catalogue. Balling, Sci-Fi and Modern Warfare are great listens, other than the first few lines of Sci-Fi which sound really weird. EDEN still has the ability to write good lines and melodies, and it's evident despite only being peppered throughout this record. Songs like Closer 2, PS1, Call Me Back and Reaching 2 has more of the classic, iconic EDEN sound, although not by much.

I can't say I don't miss the sound of vertigo, i think you think too much of me and End Credits. That trio of records was such a great run and I was hoping to get a record that could bring back that level of quality, so ICYMI does feel somewhat subpar in that perspective. On its own, it's not a bad record by any means, although occasionally weird in its own right. The album experience is decent and I don't mind putting it on in the background every now and then. It just doesn't feel as special, borderline forgettable.

Rating: 6/10

Tracklist:
1. A Call
2. Balling
3. Sci-Fi
4. Modern Warfare
5. Waiting Room
6. Closer 2
7. PS1
8. Call Me Back
9. Duvidha
10. Elsewhere
11. Reaching 2