Soft Moon – Criminal

Soft Moon
Criminal
Sacred Bones
★★★

Soft Moon’s latest is a nod to predictability. But it is the predictable that sparks a need and feeling even that much more. What is unpredictable is Luis Vasquez turning on himself.

This album is an attack on his psyche, pushing into territory that could be personally uncomfortable. “I can’t control myself, can’t control myself,” Vasquez forces out on “Burn.” If this is the beginning, we are in for a wild industrial-tinged ride. “Choke” descends into a deeper depravity that transcends the sensuality of Girls Vs Boys and the grittiness of classic industrial harshness. “I created ‘Choke’ as a theme song to my recurring corruptive behavior,” Vasquez says of the song.

There has to be something inside to be able to step outside yourself. At first it feels like self-deprecation, but in essence, this is an album about self-exploration. “Give Something” is an emotional ride of atmospheric exploration. This is a change from the sharp edges Vasquez presents himself as in the beginning. At this point we are on the same journey as him feeling the obsession of the mood. But that all dissipates into the blurry-eyed fog machine of a goth club as “Like A Father” fuels a carnal frothing to rip apart traditional values.

Soft Moon – It Kills Music Video

Criminal is a well-appropriated name for an album like this. “It’s the way I cross the line, it’s the way I open, it’s the way to my decline, it’s the way I’m broken”.” The most interesting aspect to this album is placing the title track—the most important statement to an album—at the end. Will the next album be about redemption? Vasquez has done a lot of soul searching. Clarity is what emerges. Criminal is a dangerous ride that brings to light a dark side with parameters. Is this resolve? I’m afraid I cannot answer it because this album turns into a vicious loop as we listen to it again and again and . . .