I remember listening to Vies Vignette when they released a single last year, but I was so overwhelmed by music at the time that it was gone in an instant - it’s one of the reasons I’m trying to focus on more EP’s and Albums in 2022. They’re a Finnish based duo based around Thomas Arthur and Autumn Jones, and they write soulful jazz tinged pop, with Jones providing the vocals and Arthur providing pretty much everything else I guess, given he’s a multi-instrumentalist, producer and sound engineer.
They released an EP entitled ‘Sebastian‘ last year which I’ve now had chance to give a few listens to, a soft, enticing set of tracks that will draw you in with smooth vocals, meandering dreamy melodic lines and a feeling that you should really be listening in a small, smoky, late night bar with a glass of red wine - not that those kind of bars are smoky any more, or even exist at all.
It has 5 tracks, and after the intro ‘Arrival’ they offer ‘Man of the Movie’, and it shouldn’t take you long to drift into their style, with the song quickly hitting the melodic chorus, accompanied by laid back instrumentation. ‘Deadstop‘ is less melodic and doesn’t quite hit home for me, but maybe it’s a track to suit a different mood.
The highlight however is ‘Same Old Stuff’, with a catchy melody that will really stuck in your mind, and proving that once again it really is ’all about the tunes’. The collection of tracks ends with the more unusual ‘Self’, which is darker but opens up quite beautifully at the end.
Now being honest (as I’m trying to be this year) I think some tracks work better than others, but I like their laid back approach, and when they deliver a great song such as ‘Same old Stuff’ they’re a real delight, with their mix of melodies, sophisticated vocals and quirky instrumentation offering promise too for future releases.
Also check out the dark single 'Eye', which they released just before Christmas.