The Soft Moon

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.

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]

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

• Official website