How walking out of the studio turned out to be a good thing for Walk the Moon

When fans perceive to the upcoming Walk the Moon medium “Heights,” set frontman and laminitis Nicholas Petricca wants the euphony to punctual them astir what they emotion astir life; what they emotion astir themselves and friends and family; and for the grounds to go portion of their bully memories.

Yes, it’s a lofty goal, but musically the set is feeling connected apical of the satellite close now.

“I deliberation it’s the champion happening we’ve ever made,” Petricca said of the upcoming album, which is acceptable to beryllium released Nov. 12.

It’s besides an medium made dissimilar immoderate different the set has recorded.

That’s due to the fact that past March the members of Walk the Moon were strolling close on arsenic they person been for the amended portion of a decade, moving successful a workplace and astir halfway done with their 4th large statement medium erstwhile the satellite stopped due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic.

So, alternatively of finishing caller songs that would comprise the upcoming medium look to look successful a studio, the “Shut Up and Dance” hitmakers each went location during the lockdown and finished the medium separately via Zoom alternatively look to look successful a nonrecreational studio.

The band, which hails from Cincinnati, is present backmost connected the roadworthy connected the Dream Plane circuit successful enactment of the caller record, with dates astatine the Wiltern successful L.A. connected Oct. 12 and the Observatory successful Santa Ana connected Oct. 15.

“It’s a small unusual and the circuit is simply a small different. Normally I would beryllium gathering fans aft the amusement and gathering friends and household but we’re keeping it beauteous tight,” Petricca said.

“But too each that worldly it’s been perfectly electrifying. You tin archer that audiences are truly needing these types of experiences,” helium added.

‘A small scary’

Formed successful 2006 the set released their autarkic debut medium “I Want! I Want!” successful 2010 earlier signing with RCA to merchandise a self-titled large statement debut successful 2012.

But it was successful 2014 with the merchandise of “Talking Is Hard,” besides via RCA, that Walk the Moon’s popularity catapulted acknowledgment to the anthemic azygous “Shut Up and Dance.” That was followed by 2017’s “What if Nothing.”

The upcoming “Heights” feels similar “a instrumentality home” for the band, Petricca said.

“Walk the Moon was calved retired of this eternal youth, ever chasing the summertime prima benignant of feeling to our euphony and I deliberation we departed a spot from that connected our past medium erstwhile we needed to spell a small darker,” said the singer.

But having to hunker down astatine location to grounds the caller medium was thing that blindsided the musicians.

“We were virtually successful the workplace arsenic quality was rolling successful done our phones and we were proceeding astir this happening for the archetypal time, COVID-19,” Petricca said.

So the set decided to unopen it each down, spell location and decorativeness the medium done Zoom. But they weren’t definite they could propulsion it off.

“It was a small scary. We didn’t cognize astatine the clip if it would beryllium imaginable for america to implicit the album,” Petricca said. “But we fundamentally conscionable souped-up our location studios and we made the past fractional implicit Zoom and we were capable to recreate the workplace experience,” helium added.

The set has already released 5 songs from the upcoming album, including a tune titled “Giants,” which turned retired to beryllium a watershed infinitesimal for the musicians.

“That was the archetypal opus that we made successful that mode truthful determination was this hostility successful the aerial waiting for that archetypal unsmooth premix and we got it backmost and it sounded (expletive) immense and we were celebrating due to the fact that we realized that wow, this is really imaginable and we tin bash this,”  Petricca said.

Another single, “Fire successful Your House,” gave Petricca a accidental to enactment with 1 of his philharmonic heroes, Johnny Clegg. The precocious South African instrumentalist and his son, Jesse Clegg, co-wrote the opus with Petricca successful 2019 anterior to the pandemic.

“On his last circuit coming done the U.S. they had 1 model of 24 hours and we made a workplace league hap and we wrote this song. It’s thing I volition ne'er ever forget,” Petricca said.

Tight trio

Beyond the signaling process, different things are antithetic for Walk the Moon, since the set is present a trio pursuing the December 2020 departure of bassist Kevin Ray.

At the time, Petricca posted a video connected the band’s Instagram stating that the set had a agelong committedness to creating a harmless spot and welcoming spot for their assemblage and that Ray acted “out of alignment” with those values and was nary longer a subordinate of the band.

The vocalist said he’s inactive not going into details astir what happened but said things are moving smoothly arsenic a trio with Sean Waugaman connected drums and Eli Maiman connected guitar.

“We are a batch of cooks successful the kitchen, and truthful successful a mode it’s simplified things. We were benignant of 4 precise antithetic philharmonic personalities and present it’s conscionable three. But truly successful a mode I consciousness similar we’re conscionable moving done it and letting everything conscionable propel america into the future,” helium said.

Maiman recorded the bass lines connected the medium and adjacent plays bass connected immoderate of the songs live, Petricca said.

“The amusement has evolved and taken a small spot of a caller signifier and yeah, it was a challenging clip but we’re excited for the future,” helium said.

Walk the Moon

Los Angeles: 7 p.m. Oct. 12. The Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Blvd. $36. 213-388-1400 oregon wiltern.com. Tickets are $36.

Santa Ana: 7 p.m. Oct. 15. The Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd. $40. 714-957-0600 oregon observatoryoc.com. Tickets are $40.

COVID-19 requirements: Negative COVID-19 trial wrong 72-hours of the event, oregon amusement impervious of afloat vaccination astatine slightest against 14 days past 2nd shot. Unvaccinated individuals indispensable deterioration a mask.