Justin Bieber Vs. Walk The Moon: This Means 'War'

'We're blatantly trying to start a war with Justin Bieber,' WTM's Nicholas Petricca says of major-label debut, released the same day as Believe.
By James Montgomery

Justin Bieber
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Last week, Walk the Moon's rise from hard-touring, hotly tipped indie act to major-label priority was completed with the release of their self-titled RCA Records debut (not to mention a performance on "Late Show with David Letterman"). It's been a two-year trek, but now, thanks to the slow-burning success of their song "Anna Sun," they're finally able to stop and appreciate everything that's happened along the way ... even if they can't believe most of it has.

"Right now things are kind of surreal. We've just kind of gone through this laundry list of things we grew up hoping would happen in some dream life, and we're just knocking them off the list," frontman Nicholas Petricca told MTV News. "Like Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza and getting signed to a major record label ... things we never thought were impossible, but were far-fetched; things where your parents stop being like 'OK, let me know when you get a real job.' "

"I don't think they ever stop bugging us," bassist Kevin Ray added. "But the bugging has changed from a suggestive, like, 'When are you just gonna give up? C'mon, get a job,' to 'Hey, we're coming to the show, can we get tickets? Can we get an advance copy?'"

And, having finally earned their parents' approval, Walk the Moon are setting their sights on an even bigger goal: dethroning Justin Bieber. As it turns out, their major-label debut hit stores on the same day as Justin Bieber's Believe, and now, they're making it very clear that they're gunning for JB's crown.

"We're blatantly trying to start a war with Justin Bieber ... we're coming for you, man," Petricca laughed. "No, I don't know. The dream has already come true in certain ways; [the album is] out there, and the fact that it's out is enough for us. But, it would be really cool if it got in the Top 10, or if it did this or that."

"Just one tweet, Bieber," bassist Kevin Ray smiled. "Just one."

And while they might not get Bieber just yet, WTM are clearly aiming high with their major-label bow ... after all, they've already come this far, so why stop now?

"It's interesting how success is a moving target," guitarist Eli Maiman said. "You start off thinking, 'Boy it would be really cool if ten people came to my gig,' and then it's getting signed, and then it's putting out a record for real and then it's pushing Usher out of the Top 10 on iTunes, and then it's getting that Bieber kid. I don't think we'll be satisfied until we're making Coldplay look like a garage band."

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