Walk the Moon (stylized as WALK THE MOON) is an American pop rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lead singer Nicholas Petricca started the band in 2006, while a student at Kenyon College, deriving the band's name from the song "Walking on the Moon" by The Police. The band is notable for its charting hit singles "Anna Sun", "Shut Up and Dance", and "One Foot".
Walk the Moon have cited Talking Heads, David Bowie, The Police, Tears for Fears, and Phil Collins as influences. The band's use of 1980s musical mainstays, such as keyboard and synthesizer, is also notable.
History
2010–2011: Beginning, Anna Sun and i Want! i Want!
The group independently released their debut studio album, I Want! I Want!, in November 2010, receiving airplay for the track "Anna Sun" on multiple alternative radio stations. Along with the success of "Anna Sun", Alt Nation named them a band you need to the summer of 2012. Influential music blog Neon Gold helped to break the band in January 2011, calling "Anna Sun", "the kind of stuff British A&R dreams, and major label bidding wars, are made of." In February 2011, Walk the Moon signed to RCA Records.
In 2011, the band members began to paint their faces for live performances and they would bring enough paint to share with audience members. They have claimed it has become a “live tradition”. Bonnaroo’s camera crew documented the painting process in a short video from the 2011 festival. The band played at the Sasquatch Music Festival and Firefly Music Festival. In these years, they were known for their energetic performances and tireless touring schedule. Before the release of their self-titled album, Walk the Moon joined many other performers at the Music Midtown festival and performed on the Great Southeast Music Hall Stage in Atlanta, Georgia in September 2011. In spring 2011, the band went on a short tour with the west coast band, Grouplove, as well as supporting Panic! at the Disco and Weezer on select dates. The band played on the main stage at the 20th Anniversary of Lollapalooza and also supported Local Natives in an Official Lollaplooza Aftershow at Lincoln Hall.
The band recorded i Want! i Want! with Chris Schmidt and Ben Cochran at Soap Floats Recording Studio in their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio and then self-released it. The lead single from the album, "Anna Sun", became a surprise hit in the summer of 2011 following an endorsement by the Esquire article "30 Summer Songs Every Man Should Listen To". The song was written by Petricca and New York songwriter Nick Lerangis as their time at Kenyon College came to an end. "It's about college, about maintaining that little bit of being a kid," Petricca said. "Don't be afraid to play." The song was named after one of their favorite teachers. It was named song of the summer by MTV and Seventeen Mag, and one of the top songs of the year by Amazon. It has been officially remixed by Fool's Gold and received a Trouble Productions remix by Albert Hammond Jr. Anna Sun rose to the number one spot on Alt. Nation on Sirius XM Radio. "Anna Sun" was added to the video rotation of American Eagle Outfitters stores in May 2011. It was featured on the hit TV show Vampire Diaries in the first episode of season three. It was also the free single of the week on iTunes for the week of May 15. Filmed in 2011 in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, the "Anna Sun" music video was released to coincide with the album. The video was shot on-location at the Cincinnati Mockbee building, as well as at a city park. It was directed and produced by Patrick Meier of the Cincinnati company, Contrast Productions, and features original choreography from Kim Popa of PONES Inc., as well as a cast full of the band's friends and locals from Cincinnati. MTV Hive calls the video a "hilariously choreographed, neon-colored and awesomely shot in one take" production.
2012–2013: Walk the Moon and Tightrope EP
The band's self-titled major label debut Walk the Moon was released by RCA Records on June 19, 2012. The album included a re-recorded version of "Anna Sun." The band appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman the day the album released.