Vignettes are typically portrayed through one of two mediums. Spoken or written down, they are brief, yet highly evocative descriptions, accounts, or episodes; visually, on the other hand, they are images that slowly blur and fade into darkness at the edges and corners, never possessing a discernible border. Both, of course, tell a vivid story in only a handful of creative elements, and this is exactly what Toronto-based artist Freddy Kwon, under the name freddyboy, accomplishes. Kwon’s sophomore EP Vignette002 comes one year after his debut Vignette001, both releases beautifully expressing his unique multi-textured and maximalist take on lo-fi dream pop.
In just three tracks, Vignette002 plots out an entire world where the air is a perfumed breeze, and where you’re taken through various tonal terrain. The elements Kwon include interlock perfectly; for instance, the flutters of harp-like synth in the smooth, sultry “Way I Feel” brilliantly offsets the rumination in the lyrics: “constantly reminded/existential crisis / but it's the way I feel / oftentimes I’m blinded / barely at my finest / but it's the way I feel.” The static fuzz of closer “Will It Ever” beautifully illustrates the tension and hesitation evoked. “Every little thing will even out” / that’s what I’m telling myself,” Kwon admits, his voice melting slightly at every last syllable. However, it’s the vivid, saturated color within the EP, initially manifested with the dreamy opener “Makes Me Feel,” that makes Vignette002 that much more striking; its warmth and nostalgia, condensed.