Among the deluge of last summer's indie rock, Walk the Moon stood out as a colorful, upbeat band that captured the light breezes of the season. Against this backdrop of 2012's rising bands, the Ohio-based band found its space in lighthearted songs full of memorable refrains and bright guitar riffs. This Saturday, the band is slated to help bring in the season of sun again as the opening act of Dillo Day.
Best known for the carefree hit “Anna Sun,” Walk the Moon's eponymous 2012 album and their first to be published by a major label follows the musical and lyrical themes of a freedom reminiscent of past summers. Of course, no album replete with this much youthful energy would be complete without the sweeping, jumpy declarations of passion heard in songs like “Jenny” and “Shiver Shiver.”
Along with the young energy Walk the Moon spreads through its music and prescience, the band also hides hints of an early maturity in its 2012 album, particularly in its track order. While the middle of the album does tend to blend together in a blur of upbeat brightness, the mellower tones of “Iscariot” and “I Can Lift A Car,” offer slower, more reflective tones to ponder, hopefully over the shallow waves of the NU Lakefill.
These songs show the potential for range the band has, past the upbeat, dance-able lines of “Anna Sun.” The ability of the band's lead, Nicholas Petricca to translate his own voice into a unique crooning complete with the band's own ability to match the more contemplative line is a welcoming surprise to listeners of the album. As summer begins to break over the nation and many other academic institutions break for vacation, Walk the Moon is a great start to Dillo Day for a school that is “Next In Line.”