Eddie Johnston began producing music in his early teens, but it wasn’t until he was 17 that one of his projects, Lontalius, took shape (he also has an electronic project called Race Bayon). On his debut album, I’ll Forget 17, he began to refine his emo and R&B-inspired sound. Now in his late 20s, the New Zealand producer has reached another milestone with his fifth full-length, How Can We Win When We’re So Sincere?! Minimalistic and captivating, the new album shows Johnston with an even more concentrated sound. His latest reflects the growth and marks a high watermark in the independent artist’s growing catalog.
Nearly ten years ago, Johnston built a cult-like following on SoundCloud. His song “Sleep Thru ur Alarms” was particularly popular, prompting covers, reposts, and remixes on YouTube. Fans extended the audio, slowed down the tempo, added reverb, or posted it with anime images. Even though the track is short—under two minutes—he packs the emotional depth of a ten-minute epic in his vocal performance. He bares his soul in a way that would terrify most people. His voice has an absorbing power that mesmerizes listeners, a quality that will likely continue to draw new fans.
How Can We Win When We’re So Sincere?! opens intimately with “When the Seasons Roll Over”. Accompanied solely by warm keyboard tones, Johnston reminisces about a past relationship: “Remember waking up and thinking ‘oh, if this is love, it’s attainable.'” Described by himself as a “post-breakup album”, the following songs deal with grief, regret, and sorrow as he tries to pick up the pieces and put himself back together. Johnston, whose voice sounds stuffy like he has been crying, is vulnerable, and compared to his previous output, there are even fewer layers to hide behind. He wears his emotions on his sleeve.
“130224” is an instrumental that flows seamlessly into the punchy Auto-Tuned “Runner Up”, a Drake-inspired track that feels somewhat unfinished. There’s really only one section to the piece that arrives and leaves quite quickly. To that point, a number of the songs feel underdeveloped, like they are either missing something or incomplete. “I Got It Bad”, in particular, leads listeners on with a spellbinding production, only to abruptly fade out, leaving more to be desired.
This shortcoming becomes most notable towards the end of the album. After delivering an incredibly infectious and fully developed song with contrasting sections on “Causality”, it’s a long haul to the next reward. Several songs sound expertly produced yet feel unfinished. It isn’t until the final track, “Apologies/City”, which features a pounding house beat, that listeners’ appetites are satiated once again. Despite this, at least there is consistency in the songwriting. But while it is an intriguing concept to toy with listeners in this fashion, the production and vocal performance Johnston puts forth is so remarkable that it prevents the record from being weighed down.
On a Facebook post on the artist’s page, Johnston shared he has a frustrating relationship with making albums. He writes, “When I get towards the end of a project, I start to find the whole thing a waste of time. It can take so much work, energy, and mental anguish to create a thing that someone might listen to half of, once, while they fold their laundry.” He goes on to say how he has come to terms with this and has grown from this understanding. If it is any consolation for him to continue, How Can We Win When We’re So Sincere?! is his best work yet.