On his fourth studio album Criminal, released this past February on Sacred Bones, The Soft Moon‘s Luis Vasquez has laid it all bare–the self-loathing, masochism, guilt and addiction that drives this project. It’s a work of supreme bravery and a desperate attempt to transform his misery into some kind of artistic statement that has the power to outlive his gnawing negativity. On “Like A Father,” Vasquez rips the band-aid off the festering wound at the heart of his pain. “This guilt/This problem/You’re the ghost of my problem,” his hisses through gritted teeth while battering percussion and drug sick synth lines threaten to drag him under.
Director Kelsey Henderson, also responsible for other Criminal videos like “Burn,” “It Kills,” and “Choke” returns to do the honors here. Like those previous efforts, the look is VHS inspired with plenty of image glitch and static helping to deliver the corrupted message. “Like A Father” exudes a snuff film vibe with Vasquez at the center of the action often appearing in a cracked and blurry hall of mirrors. Meanwhile, a black hooded figure stabs the walls with a razor sharp stiletto as someone writhes inside a black plastic trash bag. Let’s hope this is the nadir of The Soft Moon’s pain.
