If you have not heard the single “Shut Up and Dance” by the band Walk the Moon, you may be living under a rock.

Actually, I may have been living under a rock, as I have just recently heard the song. The track, released in September 2014, seems to be solidifying itself in the radio charts. It is the first single off the band’s sophomore album, “Talking is Hard,” which was released in December 2014. The track is a bit old now, but has recently gained popularity in radio airplay.

Walk the Moon is an indie pop band from Cincinnati, Ohio, known for its catchy and infectious songs. The band’s lineup was formed in 2010, and lead singer Nicholas Petricca has been the brain behind the band’s sound.

“Shut Up and Dance” is one of those songs destined for radio airplay. With a catchy sing-a-long chorus and a big upbeat sound, the song will no doubt get stuck in your head after the first listen.

What intrigues me about the song, particularly, is the ’80s sound. The song, if recorded with lesser technology and worse audio quality, would fit right into any 1980’s playlist. It is almost as if the band purposely tried to emulate the sound of 1980’s pop bands in some sort of modern tribute to them.

First, the guitar riff sounds quite similar to the style that the guitarist for U2 (The Edge) has. Its similarity to a riff like “Where the Streets Have No Name” was almost instantly recognizable to me. Petricca’s big, theatric and shout-like voice reminds me of a mixture between Journey’s Steve Perry and almost every other male pop singer of the ’80s. He sounds like he could have been the frontman for Duran Duran, A-ha or Tears for Fears.

Also, the pre-chorus of the song, specifically the part where Petricca sings, “She looked at me and she said…” sounds eerily similar to the pre-chorus of the song “Sunglasses at Night” by Corey Hart, another 1980’s gem. The band plays real instruments, complete with powerful drums, a thudding bassline and catchy guitar riffs. They pull off the 1980’s sound quite well.

The song has a synthesizer solo in it. If that is not the ’80s, I do not know what is.

The lyrical content of the song is also quintessential 1980’s style. A guy falls in love with a girl at a club or dance party, experiencing “physical and chemical kryptonite” with her, a wild and free youth wills him to the dance floor, makes him shut up and, of course, dance.

I cannot help but think that the band purposely gave the single this sound. With artists and bands such as Taylor Swift and One Direction releasing albums that sound like tributes to the 1980s recently, the trend seems to be firm in the music industry. The revival of 1980’s music, to me, is a good thing. Modern artists are giving it their own spin and, if they are not, this song acknowledges the roots of their sound and pay homage to the bands that inspired them. I really enjoy this song, mostly because it is a big throwback to the 1980s. Also, it is catchy.

Walk the Moon has found a sound that is popular and made for radio, and I could see this piece being one of the songs of the summer had it been released a bit later. However, with its popularity growing, it could sustain success through the summer. So if you hear the song on the radio, just listen to Petricca’s plea and “Shut Up and Dance.”

Share