With fall in full swing and the gloomy feeling of shortened, overcast days around the corner, it’s the perfect time for a new, somber record from The Soft Moon.

What started off as a mere solo project by Luis Vasquez has now grown into a band that is a force to be reckoned with in the post-punk rock scene. The group’s new album, “Zeros,” is a hearty dose of distilled depression and melodrama. With a dash of Joy Division’s chronic doom, Cold Cave’s emotive synthesizers and A Place to Bury Strangers’ love affair with guitar effects, The Soft Moon is a fitting hybrid of the three.

The album comes to life with a death in the form of “It Ends.” Blazing synthesizer lines cut through ferocious drum riffs that plunge listeners right into the desperation and strife, which courses through the track listing. The song dies out with a failing heartbeat, and the last rattling gasps for life.

The title track, “Zeros,” is completely devoid of vocals and relies solely on the spooky nature of the instrumentals. Synthesizers scream through the atmospherics, creating a twisted siren. The only sign of human involvement comes from the final cut, “sdnE tI,” which revives the album as the ability to breathe returns and the heart is restored. As the title would suggest, the song is largely a backwards version of “It Ends,” which makes for quite an eerie effect.

The Soft Moon is a shining example of how music fit for the darkest of nightmares can still remain an enjoyable experience. For best results: Listen at night and put a match to those candles.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars

Post-punk band The Soft Moon recently released a somber album, titled, “Zeros.”