Description
There’s a particular tone and texture to walking home from a party alone, or sitting in bed while the person you’re crushing on is at said party without you. The music of Eddie Johnston, a young New Zealander, captures that feeling perfectly. As Lontalius, he takes heartbreak and stumbling into adulthood as his guiding principles, conveying heart and sincerity with fine-spun vocals, shuffling percussion and synthetic melodies. Another alias, Race Banyon, is deployed for his electronic productions and live sets. In 2015, following a run of self-released EPs and a guest spot on Ryan Hemsworth’s *Alone for the First Time* LP, Johnston signed with New York label Partisan Records and released his debut album, *I’ll Forget 17*. He came to RBMA Montréal in 2016 to collaborate and grow — since then, he’s relocated to Los Angeles and shared lineups with Death Cab for Cutie, Jamie xx and Kaytranada. Youth and young love may be fraught, but as an artist, Lontalius is finding his way.
