Frontman Nicholas Petricca of Walk the Moon calls their latest single “Can You Handle My Love??” a self-love anthem. “For me, it’s being at a point in my life, where I’m really seeing myself fully through the dark and the light and the imperfections and enjoying owning that,” he said in a statement, “and how ridiculous it is to try and be perfect.” Petricca has had a lot of time for self-reflection, working remotely throughout the pandemic on the band’s fifth studio album Heights, out this fall.
Walk the Moon is one of those few bands with a timeless staying power that transcends whole decades. Walk the Moon have been making music since 2012 and became instant sensations with their angle “Anna Sun.” But it was their 2014 hit “Shut Up and Dance” that made it clear that the indie-pop band was here for the long haul. What is truly unique about the band is that they have managed to maintain their signature sound for years without being forced into a chameleon-like makeover that most artists must do every couple of years or so to stay relevant. Their upbeat, hopeful brand of pop-rock has become their calling card and it comes through in their most recent singles.
Many of the tracks on their upcoming album are songs that Walk the Moon wrote all the way back in 2012, and this works because Walk the Moon makes the kind of music that we will all probably still be listening to another decade from now. As it stands, “Can You Handle My Love??” is a danceable sweet 16 party-ready track that references hard drugs and self knowledge, all while being recognizably Walk the Moon. Petricca added, “Whatever success and hits we have in the future, every song is really going to have its own life. I’ve just had immense joy and appreciation for what we’ve accomplished and feel like we’ve set ourselves up for an amazing comeback.” But can it really be called a comeback when Walk the Moon never really left?
