Los Angeles – Deeper is the third full-length for Oakland-based musician Luis Vasquez’s The Soft Moon, and it sees the one-man project expand upon its gothic rock-indebted sonic palette while still managing to streamline the song structures. Out March 31 on Captured Tracks, these 11 tracks make up a decidedly dark, cold and lean record. A case in point of this minimalism is seen in the song title choices, with each track on Deeper branded with a single word. Just perusing the track listing and reading titles such as “Black,” “Wasting,” “Desertion,” and “Without” gives the listener a pretty clear picture of the isolated and melancholy moods contained within.
The album gets off to an ominous start with the under-a-minute prelude “Inward” casting a dark shadow over the rest of the record with drones and chopped vocals. If you somehow could not gather from the dark album art or the terse song titles, then this unsettling intro makes it impossible to figure out what the tone for the rest of Deeper will be.
There is no break for the listener after “Inward,” as the opening single “Black” immediately pushes its way through your speakers. Despite being dark and a bit terrifying at first, “Black” is in actuality a surprisingly catchy track that is fit for replay. The repetitive, chanted vocals of the verse perfectly align with the driving electronic beat, to the point that “Black” could even be classified as a “dance-y” song.
Not all of the songs on Deeper are quite so intimidating. “Far” is a more traditional, even vintage, gothic rock track guided by its driving bass line, airy reverberating guitar lead, and aggro-rock vocals; “Try” follows a similar structure, allowing a simple guitar riff and bass line to set up the atmosphere before the vocal dreariness of Vasquez cuts through the mix. Other than a few extended and off-kilter musical interludes, “Far” and “Try” seem like the kind of songs you would hear on an after-midnight college radio program in the late 80’s.
While most of the tracks on Deeper have fairly traditional song-structures, a few songs recall The Soft Moon on earlier releases, relying much more on the atmospherics than the standard verses and a simple repeated chorus. “Wasting” is one such track, taking a break from the audio assault of the first three tracks and serving up the slowest tempos heard on the album. While the first half of the song most resembles a slow dirge, by the end the Depeche Mode-influenced vocals turn it into an affecting pop song. On the second side of the record, “Without” serves up the slower pace, with the pained, depressing refrain of “Without you by my side/without you in my life/without in my heart” repeated over and over again.
“Feel” and “Wrong” offer up two of the more danceable tracks on Deeper, which help balance out the sheer desperation heard on some of the slower and darker songs. “Wrong” features a light, liquid danceable beat with a heavily effected vocal alternately claiming, “You’re wrong,” and “You’re right.” Of course, Vasquez cannot help but wax apathetic, even on the lighter material, singing “Why are we alive?” over the bass and synth-heavy instrumentation of “Feel.”
The Soft Moon will hit the road from April all the way through June. The band will begin touring throughout the United States and Canada in April and the first half of May, and wrap up their tour by crossing the Atlantic for around two dozen European shows.
Check The Soft Moon’s website for more information and tickets.
Matt Matasci
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