The Soft Moon shares new single 'Choke' ahead of forthcoming album and European tour

Words: Ellie Ward

Ahead of a mammoth European tour, and with his new album 'Criminal' set for release on February 2 via Sacred Bones, Berlin via Oakland artist The Soft Moon - aka Luis Vasquez - is sharing new single 'Choke' from the upcoming record.

Speaking about the track, Vasquez said: "I created 'Choke' as a theme song to my recurring corruptive behaviour. It’s emblematic of my sleepless nights, wandering the streets of Berlin like some paranoid animal, while capturing the unbearable sound of my pulsating heart deep inside my chest. Full of ego and full of fear at the same time."

‘Criminal’ is a confessional work. Through the stark lens of shame and guilt that has followed Vasquez since a violent childhood growing up within the humming ambient sprawl of 80s Mojave Desert, here he documents the gut-wrenching sound of going to war with himself. Battling with his own sanity, self-hatred, insecurity, self-entitlement and grappling with the risk of these things transforming him into a person he despises, Vasquez has laid his feelings bare with this: his confession and most self-reflective work to date.



Live EU/UK dates

FEBRUARY
02 Baden, CH - One of a Million Festival
03 Marghera, IT - C.S. Rivolta
06 Copenhagen, DK - Pumpehuset %
07 Gothenburg, SE - Pustervik %
08 Stockholm, SE - Slaktkyrkan %
09 Oslo, NO - Bla %
10 The Hague, NL - Grauzone Festival
11 Berlin, DE - Urban Spree
12 Berlin, DE - Urban Spree
13 Berlin, DE - Urban Spree #
14 Paris, FR - Le Trabendo #
15 Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Noord #
16 London, UK - The Dome #
17 Brussels, BE - Orangerie (Botanique) #
18 Luxembourg, LU - De Gudde Wëllen #
20 Yverdon Les Bains, CH - L’Amalgame #
21 Milan, IT - Magnolia #
22 Rome, IT - Monk #
23 Napoli, IT - Lanificio #
24 Bologna, IT - Covo #
MARCH
07 Munich, DE - Kranhalle §
08 Leipzig, DE - UT Connewitz §
09 Hamburg, DE - Hafenklang §
10 Cologne, DE - Gebaude 9 §
11 Saarbrucken, DE - Garage Club §
13 Nijmegen, NL - Doomroosje §
14 Lille, FR - Les Paradis Artificiels §
15 Nantes, FR - Stereolux §
16 Lyon, FR - Epicerie Moderne §

% w/ Matteo Vallicelli
# w/ Sarin
§ w/ Helm