Photos of Walk the Moon at 2016 Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta, GA
Photos of Walk the Moon at 2015 Boston Calling in Boston, MA
Photos of Walk the Moon at Terminal 5 in New York, NY on April 15th, 2015
Photos of Walk the Moon at 2015 Radio 104.5 Winter Jam in Philadelphia, PA
Photos of Walk the Moon at Bowery Ballroom in New York, NY on November 2nd, 2014
Photos of Walk the Moon at Theater at MSG in New York, NY on August 5th, 2014
Photos of Walk the Moon at Terminal 5 on September 10th, 2013
Photos of Walk the Moon at Bowery Ballroom in New York, NY on January 27th, 2013
Photos of Walk the Moon at Postbanhof in Berlin, Germany on September 29th, 2012
Photos of Walk the Moon at 2012 WeWork Summer Camp in Raquette Lake, NY
Two-and-a-half years ago, Cincinnati’s Walk the Moon had a major ‘song of the summer’ with “Anna Sun” off their self-titled debut full-length (QRO review), a record that filled out that hit. Follow-up Talking Is Hard (inexplicably released in the winter) keeps up the band’s energetic alt-pop, even if it doesn’t truly expand it, at least not yet.
It might be freezing in most of the country but Walk the Moon are bright from the get-go on Talking with “Different Colors”. In particular the band does pop rhythm quite well, such as on “Sidekick” and “Work This Body” – and there is an “Anna Sun”-level single in “Shut Up and Dance”. However, the group largely suffers when they get away from their wheelhouse – “Up 2 U” is ill-fitting harder dance (with a terrible title), while the synths are too sharp on “Down In the Dumps”. An exception must be made for “Come Under the Covers”, where one gets the wistful end of summer from an otherwise middle of summer band.
Talking Is Hard doesn’t push Walk the Moon into bold new ground, but does establish them and their sound. And that’s what you’re really looking for from a ‘song of the summer’ follow-up (even in winter).
