Somewhere between Robert Smith’s mid-80s flirtiness and Gary Numan’s edgy pop does the romantic gloom of Vandal Moon’s aesthetic fit the spectrum of music: goth-aligned, but on its perimeter. It might be easy to compare Vandal Moon to dark 80s icons The Cure or Sisters of Mercy - but, as each album’s complexities are revealed, it’s not so straightforward. Uncategorizable and vast, Voss and Einsiedler’s music adds a hazy glow to the dark edges of the underground, a mysterious gloss that shines when the light hits just right. Voss and Einsiedler bonded over of their love of the neo-noir film Drive and found inspiration in the movie’s electric-tinged atmosphere. This adoration for the fluorescent dramatics of the film is emphasized by collabs with synthwave legends, FM Attack and Betamaxx. However, the evolution of the band has never been stagnant and refuses to dwell on one concept for too long - whether a Bladerunner post-apocalyptic world or the actualized terrors of today’s reality, Vandal Moon is in constant motion. Importantly, Vandal Moon pursues superior sound design - most achieved by their work with producer Maurizio Baggio (Boy Harsher, The Soft Moon) on 2020’s Black Kiss. They’ve aligned themselves with synthpop titans like Johnny Dynamite and the Bloodsuckers, Male Tears and, most recently, Trey Frye of Korine. Vandal Moon landed on Spotify’s Darkwave playlist and in Post-Punk.com’s “Best of..” year-end lists in 2020 for Black Kiss and 2022’s Queen Of The Night.