The Soft Moon
Background information
Birth nameLuis Vasquez
OriginLos Angeles, California & Oakland, California, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, singer
Instrument(s)Guitar, percussion, synthesizer
Years active2009–present
LabelsCaptured Tracks, Sacred Bones Records, aufnahme + wiedergabe
Websitethesoftmoon.com

Luis Vasquez, better known by his stage name The Soft Moon, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. Vasquez serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and sole official member of The Soft Moon, which he founded in 2009.

Early life

The Soft Moon original logo, designed by Luis Vasquez

Vasquez was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Cuban immigrant mother, and to a Mexican father who was never present in his life. At the age of 12 he and his family relocated to a small desert town called Victorville, California, where he showed an aptitude toward music and began playing guitar. At the age of 15 inspired by such bands as Bad Brains, Fugazi, Descendents, and Minor Threat, Vasquez formed his first punk rock band and states "I had to forge my mother's signature in order to play 18 & over clubs and ask for permission to stay the night at a friends house", one of those shows being the opening act for local band Face To Face. Vasquez played in several punk-rock bands throughout his teens, worked several odd jobs, and later moved to Oakland, California.

Career

In 2009 shortly after Vasquez created his project, Brooklyn based label Captured Tracks approached him with a record deal. In 2010 his first single "Breathe The Fire" followed by "Parallels" were released on 7" vinyl under the Captured Tracks imprint. Later that same year he released The Soft Moon's self-titled first full length album. Following the release, The Soft Moon went on their first world tour, soon later landing a US tour with Interpol.

In 2012 The Soft Moon released its second album Zeros. Vasquez has said in interviews that, upon finishing writing the album, he was robbed at gunpoint for his backpack which contained the finished album and had to completely re-write Zeros in a short amount of time to meet deadlines.

Vasquez moved abroad to Venice, Italy in 2013 to write his third album Deeper. Vasquez found himself working with a co-producer, Mauricio Baggio, for the first time. While writing Deeper, The Soft Moon landed a European tour with Depeche Mode which paused the writing process, later adding some influence and inspiration for the completion of the album.

in 2014 Vasquez relocated to Berlin, Germany where he began working on his fourth album, Criminal. The pressure of achieving lasting success with The Soft Moon, coupled with the chaos of Berlin life, resulted in his angriest and most frustrated material within The Soft Moon's discography.

In January 2023, a US show was announced: he will play at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California on May 20, 2023.[1]

Discography

Studio albums

Remix albums

EPs

Singles

  • "Breathe The Fire" (7") – (Captured Tracks, 2010)
  • "Parallels" (7") – (Captured Tracks, 2010)
  • "Die Life" (2012)
  • "Insides" (2012)
  • "Feel" (7"/cassette) – (self-released, 2014)
  • "Far" (2015)
  • "Wasting" (2015)
  • "Black" (2015)
  • "Want" (2015)
  • "Wrong" (2015)
  • "Burn" (2018)
  • "Choke" (2018)
  • "It Kills" (2018)
  • "Like A Father" (2018)
  • "Give Something" (2018)
  • "HIM (Feat. fish narc") (2022)
  • "Become The Lies" (2022)
  • "Monster" (2022)

Collaborations

Remixes

Film and television

Song Featured in
Black
Burn
  • Treadstone S1 · E4 · The Kentucky Contract · Nov 5, 2019
Circles
Die Life
  • Arrow S1 · E6 · Legacies · Nov 14, 2012
Far
Tiny Spiders
  • Skins (UK) S6 · E3 · Alex · Feb 6, 2012
Want

Music videos

Lineup

Although Vasquez writes, records, and produces alone, he is joined by other members for live performances.

Current
  • Matteo Vallicelli – drums
  • Luigi Pianezzola – bass guitar
Former
  • Damon Way  – drum machine, sequencer, synthesizer
  • Justin Anastasi – bass guitar
  • Keven Tecon – drums

References

  1. ↑ Jones, Damien (January 23, 2023). "Siouxsie Sioux and Iggy Pop lead Cruel World Festival 2023 line-up with other acts including the Human League". NME. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ Heather Phares (November 19, 2012). "A Wrenched Virile Lore - Mogwai | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  3. ↑ Hari Ashurst (December 12, 2012). ""Ice Age (The Soft Moon Remix)" by How to destroy angels_ Review". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Complicated (The Soft Moon Remix) | Trentemøller". Trentemoller.bandcamp.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  5. ↑ Simpson, Paul. "Boy Harsher biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Jakuzi's "Ne Teselli Ne Avuntu" Receives Soft Moon Remix". Post-punk.com. October 29, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  7. ↑ "THE SOFT MOON - Parallels (Official Video)". YouTube.
  8. ↑ "THE SOFT MOON - Circles (Official Video)". YouTube.
  9. ↑ "THE SOFT MOON - Total Decay (Official Video)". YouTube.
  10. ↑ "THE SOFT MOON - Machines (Official Video)". YouTube.
  11. ↑ Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; Murray, Robin (September 1, 2022). "The Soft Moon's 'Monster' Is A Mournful Piece Of Songwriting | News". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved September 5, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.