AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Capital Cities

Artist:Capital Cities

Song:Safe and Sound

Album:In a Tidal Wave of Mystery

The 2011 single Safe and Sound was a top ten hit in 2011. It is to date the only chart single for the duo Capital Cities. You probably know the song. And I'm sure you have seen the video as it won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Visual Effects. But you know nothing about Capital Cities. Aren't they the parent company of ABC TV? Ha ha ha. Capital Cities is from Los Angeles. Songwriters Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian met in 2008 while searching through Craigslist. And before you laugh, musicians have a long history of finding each other through want ads in newspapers like The Penny Saver. It's just now everything is online. After three years of successfully writing jingles, they decided to take the next step and released the song Safe and Sound on a 2011 self released EP. When the song started getting airplay on Los Angeles radio stations, they signed with Capitol Records and released the 2013 album In a Tidal Wave of Mystery. Safe and Sound reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. MTV played the video in heavy rotation. It's a great video. The album was certified Platinum. Merchant and Simonian write and produce everything. They bring in musicians to record and they also hire musicians for touring. In a Tidal Wave of Mystery is available as a budget CD. This is to date their only chart single. Subsequent singles from the album did not chart. Then they released the album Solarize in 2018. And I don't care who you are. After a big hit like that, you can't wait five years to release a second album. Capital Cities is now forgotten. They're still around. A single was released last year. And Simonian produced a track on Brian Wilson's 2015 album No Pier Pressure. Maybe these two are a couple of jingle writers who got lucky. That's how one hit wonders are born. Here's the video for Safe and Sound by Capital Cities. The award winning visual effects are by Grady Hall.