This is already the fourth album by the band from the Isle of Man. They began with an extremely dark—yet successful—Dark-Wave style and gradually evolved toward a more Electro-driven sound. “Pop Noir” is therefore a perfect title for this release and a natural reflection of the band’s evolution.

The guitar remains a strong presence, but many tracks lean more heavily into Electronic territory. While on their first—and still exceptional—album I compared them to The Sisters Of Mercy, here you get an imaginary cross between The Cure’s most Pop-oriented moments, the soaring atmospheres of Trisomy 21, and powerful, uplifting choruses that at times recall The Mission. Mark E Moon channels the essence of 80s New/Dark-Wave and proves it once again. The vocals, delivered with passion, are complemented by tasteful female backing vocals that add further depth.

Personally, I prefer the band’s earlier, darker beginnings, but “Pop Noir” remains a strong, well-crafted album that I can wholeheartedly recommend to any fan of 80s-inspired music. (Rating:8).

Listen to “Ten Thousand Years”:

About Mark E Moon

Mark E Moon is a band from the Isle of Man, set up by Mark Sayle and Phil Reynolds. The project mixes dark-wave and post-punk with a growing electronic streak.

The band released the debut album “Refer” in 2019 and “Old Blood” in 2021, followed by the 2022 mini-album “Lux Vindictae”. Cold Transmission Music issued “Pop Noir” in 2025.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Wave, Electro-Wave.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Hailing from the Isla Of Man “Resist” is the third full length album by this band driven by core members Mark Sayle and Phil Reynolds. The new work is driven by themes of ‘love, loss and the mental anguish derived thereof’.

Content: The new album takes off where the previous album “Old Blood” (2021) left off; a pure Dark-Wave song driven by typical 80s-inspired guitar and deep, haunting vocals. But “Resist” sounds different and quickly switches to a more electronically borne sound. The tracks sound soaring and mostly melancholic with sensual, female backing vocals. “Resist” remains Dark-Wave-like, but there is a clear, noticeable evolution.  

+ + + : Mark E Moon remains a talented Dark-Wave formation and the opening cut “Daemons” only illustrates this statement. The Electronic side becomes much more important and even at the forefront revealing elevating synth parts. The deep timbre of voice also has this haunting, and magic effect. The album stands for emotion which is emerging from “Crystal” although I prefer the Dark-Wave side like the aforementioned debut-song but also “The Signal And The Noise”.

– – – : I can’t say this album stands for a totally new start but there clearly is a noticeable evolution in sound.

Conclusion: Mark E Moon remains to me one of the leading formations from the impressive Cold Transmission Records folder.

Best songs: “Daemons, “The Signal And The Noise”, “Crystal”, “Hearts Keep Bleeding”, “Blind”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/MarkEMoon1

Label: www.coldtransmission.com / www.facebook.com/coldtransmissionmusic

About Mark E Moon

Mark E Moon is a band from the Isle of Man, set up by Mark Sayle and Phil Reynolds. The project mixes dark-wave and post-punk with a growing electronic streak.

The band released the debut album “Refer” in 2019 and “Old Blood” in 2021, followed by the 2022 mini-album “Lux Vindictae”. “Resist” followed in 2024, and Cold Transmission Music issued “Pop Noir” in 2025.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Set up and driven by Mark Sayle and Phil Reynolds Mark E Moon is hailing from the Isle Of Man. After having released an impressive debut-album “Refer” in 2019 they two years later confirmed their strong potential by the opus “Old Blood”. The band is clearly driven by good-old Dark-Wave and Post-Punk reminding legendary acts like The Sisters Of Mercy, Bauhaus, Joy Division ao.  Earlier this year they did it again unleashing the mini-album “Lux Vindictae”. I consider Mark E Moon as one of the hottest contemporary formations in their music genre. I talked with Mark Sayle and Shelly Rourke.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Two years ago now we did an interview for the debut album “Refer”. A lot happened since then; lockdowns due to the ongoing pandemic, political scandals in the UK plus Brexit, the war in Ukraine… and you released a second album and now an EP while the line-up evolved as well. How do you look back at all these events?

Mark: The ancient curse ‘May you live in interesting times’ has certainly never been so apt. Don’t get me started on Politics or we’ll be here all day. Phil probably has something to say on Brexit but I doubt it’ll be anything complimentary.

The band line-up has certainly evolved, not that anyone was kicked out, we’d love the opportunity to work with Kieran or Steve again, but circumstances change and people aren’t always available for various reasons. The pandemic was, and is still, a terrible time for everyone. I know musicians moan a bit about not being able to be in the same studio but when you consider that more than a million people, in the US alone, have died from this disease it puts artists petty gripes into a more sobering light.

Q: Let’s get back to your second album “Old Blood” which was a rather engaged piece of music against fascism. Why did you feel the need to deal with this theme? And how did the transition happened from “Refer” to “Old Blood”?

Mark: After “Refer” we wanted to do a more cohesive album that felt like the sum of its parts. “Refer” was basically a bunch of, admittedly very well recorded, demo tracks. The title track “Old Blood” deals with this sea of right wing populism, white supremacy and outright fascism that has swept the western world, washing over some and sweeping away others in its spiteful currents. The incident that ignited the touch paper for me was the events in Charlottesville and the murder of Heather Heyer in 2017. The slogans chanted by the Neo-Nazis became a festering sore in my soul that wouldn’t go away. The only way I have to react to something like that is through music and my lyrics, so that is, eventually, what I did.

Q: Your newest work is the EP “Lux Vindictae”. It rather looks as a mini-album featuring six songs. What have been the main sources of inspiration for this work and its title? Was there any specific focus in the writing- & production process and were there aspects from previous albums you wanted to change/improve?

Mark: With “Lux Vindictae”, certainly from a writing perspective, some songs were created quite differently than the usual deal of me writing a bassline, a riff and some lyrics and taking it to Phil to transform it into a proper song. George, who happens to be Phil’s older brother, had joined us and had some fantastic musical ideas of his own. If you listen to “Anastasia”, for example, that’s George’s music and the Russian lullaby was Shelly’s idea.

Shelly: I was already a Mark E Moon fan, so being asked to add vocals to a track on “Lux Vindictae” was hugely exciting –and subsequently being asked to join the band as a permanent fixture was mind blowing for me! My first experience of being part of the creative process was everything I hoped it would be and I think some of our new dynamic shows.

Q: The lyrical themes featured at “Lux Vindictae” are quite different. ‘Depression, rage, assault, alcoholism, the murder of an innocent child and the sheer horror of life on an alien feudal world’. It all sounds more personal and intimate so did you have to chase inner demons? And how important is music to express inner thoughts?

Mark: I’m constantly battling my demons. Being bipolar and having ADHD gives me a certain perspective on situations I think, not a unique one by any means but they force me to try to think differently about subjects. My thoughts are generally pretty dark, even when I’m writing something quite upbeat, and I think that comes through.

Q: I noticed you also released a cover version of Soft Cell which has been released on a tribute-album. I didn’t exactly expect Mark E Moon covering Soft Cell. What did this band mean to you and how did you transform the original version into a personal adaptation?

Mark: I like to think of Mark E Moon as a fusion of Gothic-Rock, the darker side of Post-Punk and Synth-Pop. Soft Cell were (along with acts like Belois Some, Yazoo, Depeche Mode and Blondie) a very important band in my musical development. My sense of what Pop music could be had its roots firmly embedded in the darker (lyrically) themed bands. Of course, Soft Cell had had a massive hit with their cover of the Gloria Jones number “Tainted Love”, but it was “Bedsitter” that really turned me onto them. The cover we did of “Facility Girls” isn’t that dissimilar but we tried to put our own slant on it.

Q: I can imagine you guys must be excited to play on stage again. What are the plans and your expectations? What are the further plans for the second half of 2022?

Mark: We released “Dark Love” in September as a taster of the forthcoming album “Pop-Noir”. Whether the new album is ready before the year is up is anyone’s guess but we are beavering away to make it the best possible record it can be.

Shelly: 2022/23 will be busy and hopefully bear many fruits. We would like to add some UK gigs too. As Mark said, George is a wellspring of music so we have a deep pool of new songs to work on, and Phil’s excellent skills to weave them into a tapestry. After adding a few snippets of my own lyrics to some songs, the guys have given me the confidence to write more. Mark is always on hand to lend his expertise when I struggle. Writing about life from this woman’s perspective can be difficult as some of my past was painful and very dark, but I’ve found it cathartic. And if it gives the listener a new experience to explore then my worst moments will have purpose, whilst keeping the Mark E Moon sound ever evolving.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Wave, Post-Punk.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: After two impressive albums Mark E Moon strikes back with six new songs. It rather looks as a mini-album inspired by themes like ‘depression, rage, assault, alcoholism, the murder of an innocent child and the sheer horror of life on an alien feudal world’.

Content: The citizens from The Isle Of Man hold on their successful sound formula bringing good-old Cold-Wave souvenirs back alive. The Sisters Of Mercy and Fields Of The Nephilim sound as main sources of inspiration. The dark guitar play and cavernous timbre of voice are leading the listener into a universe of despair and sadness. You’ll also notice female backing vocals.

+ + + : From a very personal point of view I consider Mark E Moon as one of the hottest and most talented Cold-Wave / Post-Punk formations from the past years. They deal with a mature and well-crafted production which brings the darkest hours of 80s dancefloors back alive. The elevating chorus of “Revenge” is pure sonic ecstasy. I also have to mention “Anastasia” featuring delicious female backing vocals. There’s definitely something to say about each single track.

– – – : I don’t have minus points to mention but just regret there are only 6 songs featured.

Conclusion: Mark E Moon stands for a high qualitative level among contemporary Dark-Wave bands.

Best songs: “Revenge”, “Anastasia”, “Drowning”, “Blacklight”.

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.facebook.com/MarkEMoon1

Label: www.coldtransmission.com / www.facebook.com/coldtransmissionmusic

About Mark E Moon

Mark E Moon is a dark-wave and post-punk band from the Isle Of Man, set up and driven by Mark Sayle and Phil Reynolds. The band released its debut album “Refer” in 2019 and followed it two years later with “Old Blood”.

“Lux Vindictae”, the six-track release reviewed here, appeared on 8 April 2022 through Cold Transmission Music. Side-Line spoke with Mark Sayle and Shelly Rourke about the band later that year in “‘Click Interview’ with Mark E Moon: ‘I’m Constantly Battling My Demons’”, by which point the line-up had changed.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cold-Wave, Gothic.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Hailing from the Isle Of Man, Mark Sayle and Phil Reynolds strike back with their second full length. The work appears to be an engaging album about the human condition and the fight against fascism, which stands for the title “Old Blood”.

Content: “Old Blood” holds on the music influences revealed on the debut opus “Refer”. The music remains driven by some good-old 80s reminiscences, which might remind you of legendary formations such as The Mission and The Sisters Of Mercy. The guitar playing, by its typical mewing and melancholic sound, brings these memories alive. The songs have been accomplished by Electronic arrangements, which are often injecting a melodic and heavenly final touch to the composition. The production of the vocals has this deep timbre, which is perfectly matching with the music.

+ + + : Mark E Moon didn’t change a successful formula, but clearly remains a band devoted to the 80s Cold-Wave style. They perfectly know how to bring this dark era back alive. I get the impression that the songs feature more electronic arrangements than the previous work, but it creates a complementary effect with the guitar. There are several cool songs featured, but I would especially recommend “Salvation”, which sounds pretty The Mission-like, “Human” featuring excellent female backing vocals and “Goodbye” for its more explicit melodic touch.

– – – : I didn’t get a similar surprising effect as for the debut album, but Mark E Moon remains a great ambassador of contemporary Cold-Wave music.

Conclusion: I personally prefer Mark E Moon’s debut album “Refer” although I still recommend this work, which is a great one as well.

Best songs: “Salvation”, “Human”, “Goodbye”, “The Eye (The Picture Fades)”, “Oblivion”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/MarkEMoon1

Label: www.coldtransmission.com / www.facebook.com/coldtransmissionmusic

About Mark E Moon

Mark E Moon is a band from the Isle of Man, formed in the autumn of 2018 by Mark Sayle and Phil Reynolds. The project mixes dark-wave and post-punk with a growing electronic streak. The debut album “Refer” was released by Cold Transmission Music in 2019 on CD and as a download, and the band appears on the label compilation V/A Spotlight (2020).

“Old Blood” was released by Cold Transmission Music on 2 April 2021 on CD in a four-panel digipak, as a limited LP and as a download. The ten tracks are “The Eye (The Picture Fades)”, “Animals”, “I, Robot”, “Salvation”, “The Failing”, “Old Blood”, “Human”, “Event Horizon”, “Goodbye” and “Obliviana”; the CD adds “Animals (Single Version)”. Mark E Moon wrote and recorded the album, Dan Ankers and Phil Reynolds produced and mixed it and Reynolds mastered it. Kieran Ball and Steve Leach perform alongside Sayle and Reynolds, Simon Pott plays the Simmons SDS8 drum machine and Hazel Walsh painted the cover. The band describes the album on Bandcamp as covering leaving religion, love, toxic relationships and the fight against fascism.

The EP Lux Vindictae (2022) was followed by the ‘Click Interview’ with Mark E Moon: ‘I’m Constantly Battling My Demons’ in November 2022, the album Resist (2024), the digital EPs “From The Inside”, “Ten Thousand Years” and “Fading” (2025) and the album Pop Noir (2025), all on Cold Transmission Music. “Old Blood” is the band’s second album and its first Side-Line review.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com