Capital Cities Share Details of Their Much-Anticipated New Music

Aryeh Harris-Shapiro

Capital Cities may have taken some time following up the first album, 2013’s “A Tidal Wave of Mystery,” but the duo has not been idle. After the single “Safe and Sound” broke through to radio, partners Sebu Simonian and Ryan Merchant released “Tidal Wave” as a confident slab of funky, horn-laced pop that cemented the pair as a force. They toured extensively behind the album, including a stint alongside Katy Perry during her “Prismatic World Tour” in 2014. Recently, they released the single “Vowels,” embarked on another tour and have new material on the horizon. One half of the duo, Sebu Simonian recently spoke with Entertainment Voice about the tour, Capital Cities’ origins and the music the group has been toiling on behind the scenes.

You’re on a break from a busy schedule right now, aren’t you?

We’re kind of in the middle of the tour, little break at home. We were in South America for a few weeks, played about five different countries down there. And then we did a little East Coast run just last week, four dates, four cities, five shows, New York, D.C., Philly, and Boston. We’re going to do a Miami event this weekend and then a few West Coast dates next week right around thanksgiving, L.A. and O.C. And then we’re just sporadically playing as many shows as we can before the end of the year here and there. So, yeah, in the middle of the tour but also recording at the same time. Whenever we have time at home we’re in the studio working on new music.

How do you balance the demands of touring and writing?

It’s only difficult when you’re trying to do both at the same time. We’re on the road for a while earlier, about two years after the first album, and we didn’t really record much during that time. So it was relatively easy in that we were focused on just the touring. And then we took a break this last year and did a lot of writing and that was a good feeling, but it was mostly writing and now we’re in the production phase, but we already started touring. So it’s challenging, to be honest, but we’re getting through it.

What was the creative process that led to the new single, ‘Vowels.’

That along with about 12 other songs that we’ve got going right now was a result of us just putting our heads together and kick-starting the songwriting process after taking a long break. And for us the most important thing is the song and the melody and the lyric first and foremost. We look at each song as its own project almost, like they’re each their own universe or product that we can then sell to the music listener or fan. We try to paint whole worlds and stories behind each song and try not to think about connecting it with the other songs. ‘Vowels’ was just a crazy idea about not being able to express yourself with words. Sometimes you’re feeling these emotions that are so deep or profound that you can’t express them with words and you can just make sounds and noises and maybe body language. The only sounds you usually use for that are vowels so we felt the chorus didn’t need any words to express the emotion.

Are you testing out any of the new music on tour?

Yeah, we’re playing at least four new songs in our current set, testing them out with the live audience. It’s good to read how people respond to new music and it helps us fine-tune it in the studio before we release it. I would say the tour will be a little bigger and better, hopefully. We’ve got more musicians onstage now, there are seven of us. We’ve got a lead guitarist and an electronic vibraphonist, which is adding a little spice to the live show. And it’s gonna develop as we play more, add more songs, and think about lighting and props. We like to keep it live and down-to-earth, make it all about the music and connecting with fans as we play.

You and Capital Cities partner Ryan Merchant originally connected on Craigslist. Can you take us back to that first meeting?

I had put out an ad looking for work as a producer. Ryan was working on his solo album at the time and answered my ad. He was the only guy to respond. He sent me some demos and I liked them, so he came over and after that, we just developed a musical and business relationship. We wrote music for commercials, started a production company. And since we wrote so much material, the chemistry just grew. Our workflow was good and we just kept writing interesting songs, so it was a natural progression to start a band. Haven’t looked back since. A lot of that material was rejected for the commercials so we built a huge repertoire of song ideas, and we tapped into it when we wrote for Capital Cities.

You both have an enormous amount of energy onstage, but you come off very laid back in interviews. Is there a switch you flip when you perform or is it a more natural transition?

I just try to be myself off the stage and on the stage. Clearly, it’s a dance party when we’re playing the shows so to me they’re moments when I get to let go and let loose onstage and forget all my worries. I realized that the crowd is looking for the same experience, to be able to forget their daily lives and immerse themselves in the music and dance. It’s an opportunity for myself and everybody in that entire room to just let go a little bit and be loose, whereas off the stage it’s resting time for the next show.

Capital Cities incorporates cover songs into both your live sets and your studio material, including a version of Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U.’ What attracts you to covers as an artist?

Covering songs for us does two good things. One is it gives us the opportunity to pay homage to our favorite musicians and our musical idols. When we’re picking songs we want to make sure it’s not just a great song but it’s a song that pays respect to the greats. And then the song itself should be a familiar song, a great song, a popular song that hasn’t been covered much or that has somehow been forgotten. And then when we take it to do our own thing we want to make sure we’re showing it in a completely different light. We’re trying to see if that song, which is so powerful in its own original way, could still be powerful in a different way in a different context. It’s an experiment for us every time. When it works, we release it. We’ve done stuff in the past that hasn’t, but it’s always a good challenge.

Is there any music you’re listening to that you think your fans should check out?

One of my favorite electronic acts of the last 10 to 15 years is Röyksopp from Norway. They’re a duo and the best way to describe them is ear-candy. So that’s a big influence on me. They just recently released a new single and put out a new album. I have a few friends in the LA area whose production I really enjoy. One guy’s name is Eraserface and there’s another one called Bei Ru. This is the kind of experimental, electronic hip-hop that I gravitate to as an influence and for styles and soundscapes.

When should fans expect new music from Capital Cities?

Soon, hopefully. We’re working really hard. I think what we’re going to do is put out an EP in the next couple of months and then a full-length album sometime around April of next year.