Founded in 2008 by Ryan Merchant (vocals, keyboard, guitar), from Los Angeles, California, and Sebu Simonian, Capital Cities is an American pop duet (vocals, keyboard). On June 7, 2011, they released their debut EP, which featured the lead single “Safe and Sound,” which would go on to become their one and only top-ten success. Ryan Merchant, Sebu Simonian, Manny Quintero on bass, Spencer Ludwig on trumpet, Nick Merwin on guitar, and Channing Holmes on drums make up the band at the moment.
On March 27, 2012, the single “Kangaroo Court” was released. The group was represented in the Perez Hilton-selected collection Pop Up #1, which was made available on August 7, 2012. In the US Alternative Songs chart, the band’s song “Safe and Sound” peaked at number one. Also, the song was featured in an Air New Zealand in-flight safety film, a German Vodafone commercial, a US and Canadian television advertisement for the 2014 Mazda 3, and a German Vodafone commercial. During the show’s commercial breaks, a brief section of the retro-sounding tune “Center Stage” was played on ESPN’s First Take.
On a Tidal Wave of Mystery, the group’s debut album was made available on June 4, 2013, through Capitol Records and Lazy Hooks. It was the first new recording to be released by Capitol with a catalog number from the Universal Music Group. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at position number 66.
