Following in the footsteps of The Killers!
American dance/pop/rock band Walk The Moon has mentioned David Bowie, Tears For Fears, Phil Collins, and The Police as their main influences. Their name even comes from the classic Police tune Walking On The Moon. Personally, I feel they sound a bit like a cleaner version of The Killers.
After independently releasing their debut album I Want! I Want! (2010), and receiving attention for the single Anna Sun, the band got signed to RCA.
The self-titled major label debut came in 2012; it contained a re-recorded version of Anna Sun. I would recommend you listen to both versions to hear what a major label does once in charge. It’s just a little bit tidier, perhaps a more expensive preamp was used for the lead vocal. It almost sounds like it was just remixed.
Instead of getting into the music, the label seemed to have focused on marketing. To spread the word about the band, a few of their other singles from the debut appeared in various places: the football game FIFA 13, Saints Row IV, and a commercial for a laptop helped spread the sound of the band to a wider audience. When it comes to touring, they go out with Panic! at The Disco and Fun.
After the debut, they released an EP that featured a cover of Burning Down The House (Talking Heads).
All this set the stage for the band to release their signature song, Shut Up and Dance, in 2014. A worldwide hit and a staple on every cover band’s setlist since it has now made Walk The Moon a household name.
Again, surely they must have listened to The Killers; it is very similar to Mr. Brightside. My guess is they used it as a reference track.
Since their smash hit, Walk The Moon has released a further two albums and twelve singles; only One Foot from the 2017 album What If Nothing charted high.
Their latest release, Giants, came in 2022; it didn’t chart at all.
Walk The Moon Tunes | Related Pages
Shut Up and Dance
You can learn how to play Shut Up and Dance by Walk The Moon using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
| Db Dbsus4 | Db Dbsus2 |
Oh don’t you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me…
Walk The Moon on the web
Artists & Bands
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About me | Dan Lundholm
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