Capital Cities to play at Greek Theatre
“Safe and Sound,” the smash hit from indie-pop band Capital Cities, has already accumulated more than 35 million views and the single has been topping radio charts worldwide. Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian comprise the band’s frontmen of this worldwide sensation, though the band shares roots a little closer to home. Merchant is a USC alumnus who majored in English when he was a student.
City slickers · Ryan Merchant (right) credits his time as an English major at USC with helping him understand the importance of words. – Photo courtesy of Capitol Records
The band’s formation could be a scene straight from a Hollywood movie. The two met on Craigslist and immediately bonded over their mutual love for creating music.
“I was looking for someone to help me produce some of my songs, so we got together like that,” Merchant said. “Soon afterwards, [Sebu] and I fell into an opportunity to write music for TV commercials.”
Though the duo used commercial writing to get their foot in the door, two long years made the young 20-year-olds anxious for more. Both had aspirations to sing lead vocals and produce electronic music.
“While we were doing the TV ads, we were also doing a lot of other writing together,” Merchant said. “We eventually started writing songs on the side and decided to follow our ultimate goal in the music industry: start a band.”
And start a band they did. The two men trademarked the name Capital Cities in 2010 and began to devote all of their energy to creating melodies and songwriting. Merchant credits the duo’s differences as much as their similarities in achieving the band’s current success.
“I’m really interested in the writing process, while Sebu enjoys piano playing and is more of the technical one,” he said. “However, we also share a lot of overlapping skills, and [we] both love to produce and to be involved with a little bit of everything.”
Capital Cities’ differences also help facilitate the writing process.
“Sebu and I will sit there for hours writing melodies until something interesting comes out.”
Unlike many modern pop artists, however, the duo harbors an old-fashioned devotion to create quality music.
“Once we have the verse or melody for a song, it might take us two years to actually finish it,” Merchant said. “We have to go through the artistic process of really combing through the music to create the best possible result we can.”
Merchant also credits his time at USC for contributing to his writing style. As an English major, he admits to harboring a special appreciation for the written word. “Being able to write is such a valuable skill, not just in songwriting but in all aspects of life,” he said. “The English program [at USC] is so fantastic and helped me to become aware of the importance of the written word.”
Capital Cities credits their unique writing process for inspiring the music itself.
“I love sitting down with the computer or guitar and working with someone you have really good chemistry with,” Merchant said. “When the two of you stumble across something that feels fresh and you can listen to over and over again, you know you have something special.”
“Safe and Sound” was that something fresh, earning the band a 2013 MTV Video Music Award and propelling the artists to massive popularity worldwide.
The success of the song allowed the duo to experiment creatively for their follow-up single, “Kangaroo Court.” The music video follows a zebra’s attempt to attend a club where zebras are forbidden. The zebra attempts to mask himself and sneak in, but eventually finds himself in a sticky situation in an animal courtroom.
The video’s concept was long in the making for Merchant and Simonian.
“We came up with the idea about a year and a half ago with our manager,” Merchant said. “We didn’t have the budget then, but after signing with Capitol Records, they were extremely supportive of the concept and allowed us to go a little outside of the box for the video. We had a great director and are really proud of the finished result.”
As far as going outside the box, Michael Jackson and Daft Punk are just two of the musical artists that the band credits as their inspiration for doing things a little differently.
“Michael Jackson is the biggest and most obvious influence for our music,” Merchant said. “[He] is who inspired me to become a musician and a performer.”
The band’s debut album, In A Tidal Wave of Mystery, showcases some obvious Jackson influences. The album features contributions from a variety of artists, including hip-hop artist Andre 3000. The Southern rapper helped produce and write “Farrah Fawcett Hair,” Merchant’s favorite song from the album.
“It’s a tongue-in-cheek song that also features some very powerful moments,” he said. “Getting to work with [Andre 3000] to create the bridge was an amazing experience.”
What comes next for these two already widely successful artists? Merchant’s vision is simple enough: continued success.
“We both want to continue touring and, hopefully, have more songs that will do [well] on the radio,” he said. “Continuing to evolve musically is a big goal for both of us, and we’re really excited to get back in the studio for the next album.”
In the meantime, the band just embarked on a five-week tour with fellow indie-pop band, Fitz and the Tantrums. Not only are the two bands tour-mates, but they also share a strong friendship.
“We played a lot of the same festivals this summer and decided to join forces for this tour,” Merchant said. “I think it will be a great experience for the crowd to witness two bands with different sounds, but are both very high energy.”
Capital Cities will perform at the Greek Theatre on Saturday. As a special treat for his alma mater, Merchant said fans can expect a few surprises and guest vocalists.