EXISTER (CRYSTAL CLEAR VINYL)

Soft Moon's Luis Vasquez. "No two songs are the same. It's about existing in
the world as a human being and experiencing many emotions and experiences
throughout life."
And so hence the title Exister, a record rooted in the ecstatic joys and crippling
lows that life can throw up and how just hanging on and existing is sometimes all
we have. "Exister is my way of saying 'I'm here, deal with it.'" Vasquez says.
Sonically, this expression is a vast, expansive and potent one. The opening 'Sad
Song', which unfurls with a dense brooding atmosphere, Vasquez describes as
almost a ballad, while tracks such as 'The Pit' capture the opposite end of the
musical spectrum, exploding as a thundering piece of industrial techno complete
with gut-churning levels of bass.
'Monster' - a song that follows a human metamorphosis into an unrecognizable
and destructive being - seamlessly combines a deeply melodic, almost electro
pop, vocal hook with a slow build atmospherics to create something equally
beautiful and unsettling. 'Become the Lies' explores the devastating consequences
of being lied to by your own family and is a post-punk stomper, merging charging basslines, pummelling drums and snaking guitars, all of which combine
explosively. Elsewhere the album runs the gauntlet of everything from ambient
to dark wave - features ferocious guest contributions from fish narc and Special
Interest's Alli Logot on 'Him' and 'Unforgiven' - all while retaining that distinct
tone that unmistakably The Soft Moon.