WALK THE MOON

Led by Nicholas Petricca and his bright, nimble voice, the spirited and quirky indie rock band Walk the Moon first surfaced from Cincinnati, Ohio in 2012 when their initial alternative hit “Anna Sun” broke through. Their profile exploded into mainstream saturation with the global smash “Shut Up and Dance,” the centerpiece of their platinum-certified third album Talking Is Hard, which climbed to number 14 on the Billboard 200 in 2014. The group returned to the upper reaches of the charts in 2017 with What If Nothing, whose single “One Foot” topped the Alternative Songs survey, then issued the standalone track “Timebomb” in 2019 before unveiling their fifth full-length, HEIGHTS, in 2021.

The group’s story traces back to Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio during the late 2000s. Petricca, guitarist Nick Lerangis, bassist Adam Reifsnyder, and drummer Adrian Galvin recorded the independent debut I Want! I Want! in 2010. After self-releasing the album, the quartet aligned with Brooklyn-based Mick Management and ultimately secured a deal with RCA Records. A revised roster—Petricca alongside guitarist Eli Maiman, bassist Kevin Ray, and percussionist Sean Waugaman—then traveled to Doppler Studios in Atlanta, Georgia to work with producer, mixer, and songwriter Ben Allen. Their sophomore RCA effort, the self-titled Walk the Moon, appeared in 2012 and entered the Top 40 on the strength of “Anna Sun.” The following year brought the Tightrope EP, which reached number 54 on the charts.

December 2014 saw the arrival of Talking Is Hard on RCA. Its buoyant single “Shut Up and Dance” registered across five continents and entered the Top Five in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia while earning a Teen Choice Award nomination and an MTV Video Music Award nomination. Capitalizing on that momentum, the band mounted its own headline tour throughout 2015 and closed the year with a live performance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in New York City. Their first concert recording, You Are Not Alone: Live at the Greek, surfaced in 2016 and also registered on the Billboard 200.

The quartet resurfaced in 2017 with its fourth studio album and third for RCA, What If Nothing, shaped by producers Mike Crossey, Mike Elizondo, and Captain Cuts. Powered by the Hot 100 single “One Foot,” the project landed at number 40 on the Billboard 200 and number three on the Alternative Albums chart. Walk the Moon launched the Press Restart Tour that November and concluded the run in the United Kingdom the following April. Later that year the group joined Morgxn on the track “Home,” then offered its own buoyant single “Timebomb” in early 2019 before parting ways with bassist Kevin Ray. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic the members finished their fifth album, HEIGHTS, through remote collaboration; the set included the Mike Crossey and Tommy English-produced single “Can You Handle My Love?,” a collaboration with singer K. Flay.