What If Nothing [LP]

by Walk the Moon

Overview

In the wake of the success of their crossover hit single "Shut Up and Dance," Ohio quartet Walk the Moon followed with their third full-length, What If Nothing. Less straightforward indie rock than past releases, the LP found the band experimenting with innovative textures and brighter production provided by Mike Elizondo, Captain Cuts, and Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, Nothing But Thieves, the 1975). Fun and energetic, What If Nothing is Walk the Moon at its most technicolor, an escapist pop-indebted rock album packed front to back with potential singles. While not necessarily a groundbreaking offering, Nothing helps the band rise to the top of a contemporary pack that also includes bands like Maroon 5, Imagine Dragons, OneRepublic, the 1975, and, most clearly, Bleachers. The sound and feel of that Jack Antonoff-fronted outfit is so present on What If Nothing that one might be shocked to learn that he had nothing to do with it (tracks like "One Foot," "All Night," "Tiger Teeth," and "Press Restart" could have been lifted straight from Bleachers' debut, Strange Desire). Elsewhere, the band give respectful nods to '80s acts like INXS ("All I Want"), Erasure ("Surrender"), and Phil Collins (the sprawling "Sound of Awakening"). In addition to that latter track -- a bold move on the band's typically safe-sounding part -- standout "Headphones" offers the heaviest rock moment on What If Nothing. Jerky and elastic, it's packed with attitude and a Muse-worthy riff breakdown that sounds like Royal Blood gone full pop. With all these comparisons to other bands, Walk the Moon might run the risk of losing themselves in the process. However, with frontman Nick Petricca's distinctive vocals tying it all together, the album remains a cohesive statement from Walk the Moon. Even as the band peppers their sound with various genre flourishes, they simply serve to spice up the proceedings. Since their pop culture legacy has been secured with "Shut Up and Dance" -- destined to be a wedding reception favorite for all eternity -- the band are free to do what they want. Because of this, What If Nothing is immensely enjoyable and liberating, a satisfying dose of passionate abandon. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

Product Details

Release Date:	11/10/2017
Label:	Rca
UPC:	0889854548513
Rank:	52686

Tracks

Disc 1

1. One Foot
2. Press Restart
3. Headphones
4. All Night
5. Surrender
6. All I Want
7. Kamikaze

Disc 2

8. Sound of Awakening
9. Tiger Teeth
10. Feels Good to Be High
11. In My Mind
12. Lost in the Wild
13. Can't Sleep (Wolves)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Walk the Moon   Primary Artist
Sharlotte Gibson   Vocals
Daniel Kirkpatrick   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Walk the Moon   Composer,Executive Producer
Jonathan Gilmore   Engineer
Mike Crossey   Mixing,Producer
Mike Elizondo   Producer
Neal Avron   Mixing
Adam Hawkins   Mixing,Engineer
Tim Pagnotta   Composer,Producer
Brent Arrowood   Assistant
Joseph Rogers   Engineer
Brian Ziff   Photography
Captain Cuts   Composer,Producer
Nicholas Petricca   Producer
Dan Chertoff   A&R
Sahir Hanif   Drum Technician
John Ryan   Composer
Noah Breakfast   Composer,Additional Production
Scott Skrzynski   Mixing Assistant
Jason Matheny   Typography
Katie Carlson   Creative Director
Jack Novak   Composer
Felipe Posada   Artwork,Creative Director
Amaya Segura   Photography,Art Direction