The Soft Moon

The music of The Soft Moon is urgent, terrifying stuff. Drums pound, guitars hum, black synthesizers buzz, and a deeply hypnotic effect is achieved—especially as the few vocals that San Francisco’s Luis Vasquez adds to the mix are either high moans or ominous whispers. There are some clear non-cinematic influences at work on 2010’s The Soft Moon—Bauhaus, Joy Division, krautrock—but these tunes seem tailor-made for movie scenes where killers stalk victims, or unwitting protagonists down drinks spiked with bad acid. Moving from bedroom to a studio to record the upcoming Zeros—due on Brooklyn label Captured Tracks in October—reportedly allowed Vasquez room to scream, so expect those whispers to transform into full-bodied terrors live.

Updated 05/21/2012