The Soft Moon

The Profile

The Soft Moon is the American dark wave/post-punk project of Luis Vasquez, formed in Oakland in 2009. Early releases appeared on Captured Tracks, with Criminal marking a shift to Sacred Bones. Vasquez’s work is known for stark, synth-driven atmospheres, distant vocals, and post-industrial edges, with recording collaborations in Italy with producer Maurizio Baggio.

Solo project led by Luis Vasquez; active since 2009; associated with dark wave, post-punk, and industrial sounds; albums include The Soft Moon (2010), Zeros (2012), Deeper (2015), Criminal (2018), Exister (2022); early releases on Captured Tracks, later on Sacred Bones; recorded with Maurizio Baggio in Italy.

The Soft Moon, the dark wave/post-punk project of Luis Vasquez, emerges in the reviews as aggressive, minimalist, and steeped in 1980s shadows. The self-titled debut draws praise for its abyssal mood and pounding rhythms, though one review finds it synthetic and overblown. Criminal is framed as a stark, personal confession, inaugurating the Sacred Bones era and leaning into post-industrial textures. Recurring traits include distant vocals, relentless drum programming, and dense synth atmospheres. Active since 2009, the project is noted for recording with Maurizio Baggio in Italy.

Notable Quotes

❝ The Soft Moon is a mind-blowing project, a front-row seat over a dark, black, murky abyss, as that landscape must have seemed in the moonlight.

❝ This is an extremely aggressive album. Lo-fi? Lo-fi what?

❝ “Criminal,” Vasquez’s fourth studio LP, is set to be released on February 2 and marks the start of the collaboration between the artist and the label Sacred Bones.

❝ If Ghostbusters were a B-series horror movie, set in the future with the Twilight cast as ghost hunters, it would undoubtedly have this album as a soundtrack.