Luis Vasquez is The Soft Moon and his work guides us through the prism of shame and guilt that follows him from a violent childhood spent in the stifling atmosphere of the Mojave Desert in the 80s, he documents the harrowing sound of a war within him. We first caught up with him before the release of his album Deeper back in 2015 following his move to Venice. His albums blend into one long concept album. Based on krautrock beats and post-punk energy at the time of his debut album in 2010, his voice becomes less diluted and the lyrics become more exposed. The depth sees you falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole. Exploring his own mental health, self-hatred, and insecurity while perceiving the risk that it will turn him into a person he despises, Criminal is his most successful self-reflection work to date.
In regards to your new album now out on Sacred Bones, you have said “Guilt is my greatest demon and he has followed me since childhood. Everything I do reinforces the story that makes me guilty.” Is Criminal more about a confession?
Like we all do, I’ve got some personal problems and it was a way to express all this. For me in order to reach some happiness, it’s was very important doing this record. In my normal personal life, I feel like I hide so much and I use my music to express my introvert personality. I don’t tell people about my life so this record is the answer to so many questions.
How do you feel when you aren’t making music?
I feel terrible! So, when I’m doing music I feel more confident, I don’t feel insecure when I’m not on stage.
How is it giving all this darkness to anonymous people listening to your record?
It’s scary because you become so vulnerable and there are so many crazy people in the world and I don’t know how they feel about this. As long, I’m living I will continue expressing my weird experiences in that way. It helps me a lot.
Let’s talk a bit about the new record.
Yes, this record is the most honest expression for me. This time I’m more talking about my relationship with my father for example. Criminal is currently the most emotional record I’ve done.
You worked once again with Maurizio Baggio (who had already produced Deeper), at the Distilleria in Bassano Del Grappa, Italy. Were you joined by any other new people on this new record?
Despite the help of some producers, it’s just me, I write everything myself.
So it’s easy for you to judge if you like your own song or not?
It’s complicated, even if I’m doing it alone, I’m very aware of how people see my music, I’m not a narcissist, as when I create something I do think about my band, my fans, etc…
