On Dec. 2, 2014, Walk The Moon released their second official album, titled Talking is Hard. Talking is Hard is filled with energetic energy and shows the band’s progress with great vocals, composition, and lyrics.

Walk The Moon is a indie pop-rock band that was formed, by singer and keyboardist Nicholas Petricco, in Cincinnatti, Ohio. They independently released their first album, i want! i want!, in 2010 and their most popular song “Anna Sun” received lots of airplay from radios. They signed with RCA Records and released their first official album, Walk the Moon, in 2012. Walk the Moon included many tracks from i want! i want!. Walk The Moon’s fan base is constantly growing and with their release of Talking is Hard is expected to grow even more.

Often, the second album of a newer band is what determines their success or failure. Take Grand National for an example: they’ve been basically silent after the flop of their second album, aside from a few released singles. But, with Talking is Hard, Walk The Moon has proven they are going to be big.

Talking is Hard shows the band’s development in creating an even better sound. Their use of different guitar effects and the vast amount of harmonies they use in each song gives the new album a very energetic and positive sound.

Unlike most indie-rock albums, Walk The Moon has refrained from focusing exclusively on negative topics. Most of the songs on Talking is Hard focus on the good parts of life, not the bad. Personally, this makes me want to listen to the album over and over again because it brings up my mood.

Walk The Moon’s unique, energetic sound starts right at the beginning of the album with “Different Colors”. “Different Colors” sets the tone for the rest of the album on a great note with its positive, energy-filled sound. “Different Colors” continues right into “Sidekick”, which is my favorite song on the album.

“Sidekick” again conveys a very positive message, as it talks about love. But, I like more than just the lyrics in this song. With it’s usage of guitar effects, unique synthesizers, and harmonies, “Sidekick” slightly throws a Talking Heads sound into the album. But, it also throws me back to their previous hit, “Anna Sun”.

The song after “Sidekick” is “Shut Up + Dance”, which is the biggest hit on the album, so far. Walk The Moon released “Shut Up + Dance”, on Sept. 9, as a preview to their new album. I think that it was a great way to preview their album because it conveys the positive and care-free spirit of this album.

The rest of the album continues with the energetic vibe, but while listening through it I could not help but feel a strong 1980s throwback. As Walk The Moon has been quoted saying that the Talking Heads, David Bowie, and Prince were huge influences on them, it was no surprise that I heard influence from those artists. But, some of the intros in some songs, like “Spend Your $$$” had me feel like I was listening to Was (Not Was)’s “Walk The Dinosaur”.

I give Walk The Moon’s Talking is Hard  a four out of five northstars because it is a very positive, energetic album that makes me happy, but it could tone down on the 80s vibe a little bit.