WHO IS SYLVON?

Sylvon is a Toronto-based indie, synth/dark wave, one-man band, led by Frankie Guerreiro.

Overseeing all aspects of his craft, including writing, composing, arranging, producing, and performing, Sylvon’s compositions exude a displaced nostalgic flavor, audibly a complete contrast to the current landscape of pop music. Utilizing his educational background in Graphic Design, he is also the creative force behind all visual aspects of his artwork (album and single covers, social media promos), as well as the curator for all his social media accounts.

WHAT ARE THE ROOTS OF SYLVON, INCLUDING MUSICAL INFLUENCES?

The Sylvon project was conceived in the mid-2000‘s. The name, sound and image were influenced by the New Romantics movement of the late 1970’s / early 1980‘s, through artists of the likes of Visage (Steve Strange), David Sylvian of Japan, Gary Numan, Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics, which were integral sonic and visual forces to the birth and development of the “Sylvon Sound”. Other musical influences include Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Charles Bernstein (composer of “A Nightmare on Elm Street”), and Madonna. 

WHAT IS THE MUSICAL HISTORY OF SYLVON?

Shortly after his inception, Sylvon produced dozens of demo recordings that would be part of early concept records, but would unfortunately remain in the vault for several years. Select records, in demo form, were released on early social media platforms (Soundcloud, MySpace). During this time, Sylvon joined the all-male, LGBTQ group, PRIVATE JOY. The band would deliver several life performances and record their unreleased, full-length self-titled album. However, due to creative conflict, the band would dissolve in less than a year.

During a long hiatus, Sylvon finally released his first commercial single, “No Goodbyes”, in late 2013. The track was part of a concept album, initially slated for release in 2014, but was ultimately shelved. 

Three years later, during a tumultuous time in his personal life, Sylvon went through a transitional period and revisited dozens of unreleased demo recordings and lyrics, a move that would become the catalyst to the birth of his first, commercially released, full-length album, ISOLATION / FANTASY (October 2019).

WHAT IS THE CONCEPT BEHIND SYLVON’S LATEST ALBUM, “ISOLATION / FANTASY”?

The lyrical nature of the album deals with internal thoughts and feelings engendered through isolation, and through this isolation, one delves into various scenarios of fantasy. The first half of the ISOLATION / FANTASY album (tracks 1-6) are detached-narratives that paint various portraits resulting from isolation (excessive drinking, promiscuity, insecurities, unhinged behaviors), while as the second half (track 7-12) provide a sequential, cohesive narrative of the disillusionment of a relationship. This narrative progresses from feelings of self-inflicted isolation, to introspection, to ultimately, fantasy, confiding in a person who has the power to obfuscate and suspend the current emotions of your life.

WHAT IS SYLVON CURRENTLY UP TO?

In March 2020, Sylvon released a re-imagined cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Bartender”, with the help of his spoken-word collaborator and poet, Artea M., who had also worked with Sylvon on the ISOLATION / FANTASY track, “Disconnect”.