Vandal Moon are a group that have been lurking around the gold mine of Bandcamp for quite some time. The duo, Blake Voss and Jeremy Einsiedler, are very open about their use of post punk with gothic undertones. For those of you who love bands such as Joy Division, The Cure, Depeche Mode and New Order then Vandal Moon is straight up your alley. They have a new album called Black Kiss that is currently out now; it’s more of a reason to keep reading!

Hurt is the first track on the Black Kiss album and it absolutely reeks of Depeche Mode; its a well crafted and performed song. Dead brings us that pure post punk vibe with soulful vocals and a dark yet gentle sound. Black Kiss has a very ominous tone to it creating this catchy horror fuelled tune. We Are Electric is a song that you can get lost in and it will give you a peace of mind. We Live Forever is a favourite on this track with its admirable and heartfelt lyrics becoming a modern power ballad.

Wicked World is a frantic track which is beautifully sung, but doesn’t live up to the standard of the other songs. Robot Lover is a terrific track and it is ridiculously catchy with it most certainly being slapped on repeat. Suicidal City Girl comes in with a solid bassline and once again showing that Vandal Moon can write an absolute tune that will get stuck in your head. Pretend To Die is something of an epic that would be an absolute blast if we were to hear it live and everyone could sing along to it. No Future is a daunting track that ends Black Kiss with an smacker of a finale.

Vandal Moon ticks all the right boxes with Black Kiss and it more than proves what they are all about. Post punk and synthwave fans will absolute love this album as it’s just very well written. Instrumentally, vocally and lyrically it is a tremendous effort and I could not recommend it any more. Black Kiss sticks to it’s guns by becoming an incredible synth fuelled gothic inspired record that should proudly belong in any album collection of synth fans.

– Matthew Clewley
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