Walk The Moon:

Forming in 2008, Walk The Moon started out as a young, indie-pop band from the roots of Cincinnati, Ohio. Members Nicholas Petricca, Kevin Ray, Sean Waugaman, and Eli Maiman have taken the indie scene by storm. Releasing a total of three albums so far, their fourth album, Talking Is Hard, is supposedly being dropped this December. The bands’ first album, The Other Side: B-Sides and Rarities was released in 2009, followed by I Want! I Want! in 2010 and Walk The Moon in 2012. WTM has travelled around with various bands over the past years such as Grouplove, Panic! At The Disco, Weezer, Fun., Young The Giant, and have even opened for Local Natives at the Lollapalooza Music Festival. The lively, youthful songs from the group of boys have attracted a fun-loving crowd, usually always showing up to concerts with colorful face paint and glitter on their bodies. Their concerts tend to be more laid-back, and atmosphere that allows fans to relax and dance along to the music. This past summer, I actually had the priviledge of seeing them preform live during Panic! At The Disco’s The Gospel Tour. And in all honesty, I was definitely pleasantly surprised. Colorful faces and bodies surrounded me while Petricca banged on a single solo drum, as the other members played electric guitars and a set of bass drums in the back. Walk The Moon brought a lively sense of joy to their music and their entire show. Petricca was extremely communicative with the audience, allowing the audience to chant along to the full rendition of Shut Up And Dance, the newest single from WTM. Overall, the bands’ sound and vibe really makes you appreciate the joy of attending a concert and letting yourself get lost in the music.

HAIM:

From the roots of the San Fernando Valley to the top of the charts, Haim has become almost an overnight sensation. The band, consisting of three sisters, have taken the world by storm. Members Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim began making music at a young age, beginning with their family band “Rockinhaim.” Learning to play instruments when they were just infants, music has always been apart of the trio’s lives. In their first album Days Are Gone, released in September of 2013, their unique indie-pop vibe separated them from other girl-bands. The girls tend to stick to a more natural side, their music defined as more raw and unlike many artists and bands, they actually sound the same– maybe even better- live. With only vocals, a bass guitar, a keyboard, and percussion, the girls all aim to make their sound as natural as possible. Personally, Haim has become one of my favorite bands. Not many strong, versatile girl-bands are still as successful as they are now, and from what I’ve seen, it’s just the beginning of their careers. They’ve definitely made a name for themselves, previously opening for Florence and the Machine and Mumford & Sons, and in addition, collaborating with Kid Cudi, Major Lazer, and Childish Gambino. Although, their sound is ultimately not similar to any of those bands, or even any band in general. In comparison to bands such as Mumford & Sons, In spring of 2014 the band completed their first headlining tour, traveling across Europe and North America over a course of six months. Recently, the band has announced their second album will be released soon, hopefully by the end of 2014. There’s a lot of speculation over their upcoming album, fans debate between whether they can still bring their unique sound to a whole new album or if Days Are Gone was really as good as it’ll get. I whole-heartedly believe Haim will continue their steady rise to fame. The trio’s raw sound is so different from the overplayed pop songs nowadays, while their music tends to be a refresher and a reminder to me that real music is still out there.