Irresistible beatnik charm and quirky style makes Cincinnati natives Walk the Moon’s second album, Talking is Hard (released Tuesday) a perfectly crafted pinnacle in the indie rock music scene.

The album was a prodigious step for the up-and-coming band. After releasing their first single from the album, “Shut Up + Dance” on September 9, the band went full force promoting the new album with the release of a second single and even an early release of the album on Spotify on November 24.

Talking is Hard is definitely something different for Walk the Moon. Kicking it off with “Different Colors”, a previously released single, you can tell that they’re not just sticking to old habits. The sound is less harsh, stompy dance music that you can belt along to. The entire album is a blur of old and new. Some tracks like “Shut Up + Dance”, “Up 2 U” and “Down In the Dumps”,  incorporate the familiar heavy use of repetitive dance choruses and exciting drum line. These songs showcase the lead singer Nick Petricca’s startlingly distinctive voice and drummer, Sean Waugaman, slamming down on the drums. A good handful of the songs such as “Aquaman”, “Come Under the Covers” and “Avalanche”, hit you with obscure tunes and slower pop tempos while other unexpected tracks keep the listener on edge and make them really focus on the uniqueness of each piece of the album.

Walk the Moon’s last album defined them as a psychedelic indie rock band with show-stopping artistic abilities, but pigeonholed them into a band for free-spirited nonconformists and music junkies that like to dig through iTunes for obscure tracks. Talking is Hard really subverts this, putting Walk the Moon on the popular music map with tracks that appeal to a wide variety of listeners.

Talking is Hard seems to lose the band’s unconventional quirky appeal, but it’s a change of pace that will keep new listeners intrigued and faithful fans pleased yet puzzled. Is it a bad thing Walk the Moon morphed their style and appeal? Maybe not, but after the release of their most recent album I expect to hear a lot more from and about them.

Walk the Moon’s new album is available on iTunes. They will also be performing at the 2015 How the Edge Stole Christmas in Grand Prairie on December 3.