After their huge success of their self-titled album which featured their mega popular hit, “Anna Sun,” Walk the Moon has released their second studio album, “Talking is Hard.”

The new album from Walk the Moon is exactly what one would expect from the band.  It lacks lyrically and musically, but overall, it makes one want to get up and dance–very fitting, since their first single off the album is “Shut Up and Dance.”

The single is definitely a highlight of the album; it has a vivacious upbeat beat with an awesome guitar riff in the middle of the song. The song’s narrative gives the images of a loud crowded club and having a great night with a mysterious stranger with lyrics like, “She took my arm / I don’t know how it happened / We took the floor.”

Another highlight is the song “Up 2 You;” it is a new direction for the band, as it is not as upbeat as the rest of the songs. It starts out with a soft intro with the symbol of the drum being the only defiant beat.  It then explodes into the chorus with Eli Maiman riffing on the electric guitar.

Some other songs on the album verge on the side of bad 80’s pop.  The song “Work this Body” feels like it should be in a Richard Simmons video, with the lyrics, “Work this body / I will burn this flame–” though “flame” sounds more like “fat” in the song.  It also has an unexpected Congo line beat, but just doesn’t work with the rest of the album.

Although there are some big misses on the album, like “Spend your $$$” and “Work this Body,” there are also some songs that stand to be great hits, such as “Shut up and Dance” and “Avalanche.”  Overall “Talking is Hard” is a fun dancey album without much substance.