'We got to see them (last summer) at Firefly Festival,' he says. Shout-outs and collabs: Petricca co-wrote Finale with French DJ Madeon, a song that was featured in an NBC Sports Network commercial during the 2012 Summer Olympics, as well as in ads for the National Geographic Channel and PlayStation Vita. From that point on, we were courted by industry people.' We had a gig in New York City at this tiny little bar in Lower East Side, and the place was packed. 'We got so much traffic from that one tweet. The a-ha moment: 'The Anna Sun video had been passed around YouTube, and this little record label tweeted about it,' he says. 'She was flattered, though - she and her husband, who is also a professor, came to see a show when we were playing nearby.' 'The song isn't really about her so much as it is about youth, the images of going to school,' he says. Who is Anna Sun?: The lucky muse is a professor from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. So the face painting became this accidental tradition.' 'We had face-painting stations, paint canvases on the wall. 'We painted our faces for the Anna Sun video, and at this show in November 2010, we decided to re-create the vibe from the video,' says Petricca. Fans pile into venues, adorned with neon face paint. Getting into the mood: Walk the Moon generates a lot of hipster buzz with live performances. 'One description we've heard is 'indie pop fiesta,' ' says Petricca.

with a quick November tour and look forward to returning to Europe in 2013, this time as the headlining act.ĭeveloping the sound: The band, who cite Talking Heads, David Bowie and ELO as influences, fold synth pop and rock together. The quartet have also opened for Young the Giant and Kaiser Chiefs and this summer played on fun.'s European tour. 'Everything we do is one more step toward this moving target, success is a constant rising goal,' says Petricca. They also played the main stage at Lollapalooza in 2011. Walk the Moon was one of the buzz bands at SXSW in Austin and played at the inaugural Firefly Festival in Dover, Del., as well as London's iTunes music festival. 18 on the alternative chart.) The video is approaching 6 million views on Vevo. That slow burn has paid off: Anna Sun has carved out spots in the top 50 on both USA TODAY's alternative and adult-alternative year-end charts, and now sits at No. The indie pop group's catchy hit single, Anna Sun, first appeared on 2010 album i want! i want! and has since become a staple at Walk the Moon's live shows, inching into steady rotation on alternative radio. The group cites David Bowie and ELO as influences and dreams of working with The KillersĪiming for the stars: In the four years since Nicholas Petricca formed Walk the Moon, fortune has finally begun to shine on the band.Hit single 'Anna Sun' is based on one of the lead singer's college professors.The band's name comes from the Police song 'Walking on the Moon'.

Walk the moon album itunes