Ears Wide Open: Capital Cities

Kevin Bronson on
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Back in the day, Sebu Simonian was lending his vocals to the anthemic rock band Aviatic, whose songs were so expansive they’d fill festival grounds. But Capital Cities – Simonian’s new project with Ryan Merchant – is content just fill dancefloors. Their new “Safe and Sound” EP offers up shiny, happy electro-pop with infectious bounce and doubled vocals. Simonian and Merchant first met via Craigslist, and their initial collaborations involved writing jingles – does that sound familiar? – but in Capital Cities it’s all about selling the party. Which in today’s electro-pop marketplace does not involve a lot of arm-twisting.

||| Download: “Safe and Sound”

[audio:http://www.mediafire.com/file/mrrg948xbgcidc7/Capital Cities – Safe And Sound.mp3]

||| Live: Capital Cities performs Friday at Sangria in Hermose Beach, with more dates on the horizon.

Photo by Angela Mikayelyan