R.I.P. Luis Vasquez of The Soft Moon

Luis Vasquez, the artist behind the goth/synth-pop project The Soft Moon, has died, according to a social media post from their Instagram.

The post reads, “It is with great sadness that we announce our dear friend, Luis Vasquez has passed away. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family, friends and extended music family. We ask to respect their privacy during this difficult time…This is a huge loss and our hearts are broken.”

Vasquez began The Soft Moon in the late 2000s in Los Angeles, releasing their self-titled debut album in 2010. Four more albums followed: 2012’s Zeros, 2015’s Deeper, 2018’s Criminal, and most recently, 2022’s Exister.

“I work completely alone,” Vasquez said in an interview with Treble in 2018. “I tend to write in a personal environment, just an apartment. … I need to be able to express myself without anything holding me back, so in order to do that I need to be alone. I don’t want to be held back. If there’s someone else involved, I feel like I might be a little embarrassed or shy, and I don’t want those kinds of limitations. This is an autobiography of my life, it’s like a diary, and it’s about understanding myself and learning to grow, so it’s very much a solo project in all aspects.”