You'd be forgiven if you assumed "Walking on the Moon," the opening cut on
Karmin's major-label debut EP,
Hello, was a cover of
the Police's classic. After all, the duo of Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan made their name in 2011 via smirking YouTube covers of hits by
Chris Brown,
Lil Wayne, and
Nicki Minaj, so jokey versions of new wave classics are no great stretch, but
Hello is where
Karmin attempt to shake off the specter of novelty and present themselves as an honest to goodness modern pop band, the kind that can work with such heavy-hitters as Tricky Stewart and Stargate. Those two producers have scored hits for
Britney Spears,
Beyoncé,
Rihanna, and
Katy Perry, and that gives a good idea of how
Karmin hope to market themselves: stylish dance-pop with an urban twist. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine