Capital Cities fans should be happy to hear from the duo comprising the group, Sebu Simonian and Ryan Merchant, as the last time we heard from them was back in 2013 with A Tidal Wave of Mystery. There may be a little bit of disappointment in that Swimming Pool Summer is only a four-song EP (five if you count the remix), as opposed to a brand new second album. I don’t think fans should be too sad, though, as this EP has a lot of Capital Cities’ old style (at least the opening track) and some catchy summer tunes.

“Swimming Pool Summer” starts off this EP – it is repetitive in nature, but in the best possible way. With the harmonized vocals and a wide array of synth, trumpet, and string instruments bringing many different levels to the mix, this is easily the best track on the album.

“Drop everything” is the second song on this album and amidst the other three songs, it’s less memorable and lacks the summer sultriness that “Swimming Pool Summer” possesses. “Drop everything” has a bit more of a house music vibe and couldn’t hold its own in comparison to a catchy summer track that it followed.

“Girl Friday” is a little off from the duo’s normal style, as not only does this song feature the rapper Rick Ross (unlike their first album that featured a sublimely better artist in Andre 3000), but it is confused by a chill vibe, poppy repetitiveness and an awkward rap by Ross – who is normally a lot smoother in nature. Merchant and Simonian repeat ‘She’s my Girl Friday’ over and over in the chorus until it becomes obnoxious.

“Drifting” is actually my favorite track on the EP. It veers away from the other styles of the album and feels a little more electronic, but somehow more complex and musical. It brings the EP to “a drifting close” in a manner that is not only fitting of the album, but in a literal way – it fades you out properly.

I am excited to see what this duo comes up with next. Until then, enjoy these tracks at the beach, during the dog days of summer.

The post Capital Cities “Swimming Pool Summer” EP review appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Quip’s Richard Moore:  Tell us a little about how you two met?

Sebu Simonian:  I put out an ad on Craigslist as a producer looking for artists, and Ryan was looking for a producer and he was the only one to actually respond. He came over to the studio and the musical chemistry was instant and we started working together. We worked on commercial music for a while until we decided to form a band. So we met in 2008 and formed the band in 2010.

QRM:  Did working on commercials before forming the band help at all?

Ryan Merchant:  It helped us in a number of ways. Firstly when we were writing for TV commercials we would be writing constantly, so when you do that on a daily basis I think creative moments tend to happen more often because you’re creative on a daily basis. It was a very prolific period for us.

Secondly when you’re writing for TV commercials, you’re asked to produce in numerous styles of music. So naturally all these different styles of music get infused into your personal music because all the different styles are in your head.

Thirdly it teaches you how to write really fast and how to just grab a creative spark and just run with it and not second guess your ideas. It was extremely helpful for us and I do not think Capital Cities would be what it is today had we not had that background.

QRM:  You mentioned that you used to make jingles, any that I might know?

RM:  We did some work with Shaw Communications in Western Canada.

SS:  One of our songs was used for a Shaw commercial and is technically the Capital Cities track called “Beginnings.”  Then we did a Helzberg Diamonds ad, which can be considered a jingle, but mostly we wrote background music and not just jingles.

QRM:  “Safe and Sound” is currently the most popular song off your album but which song is your favorite?

SS:  I honestly don’t have a favorite song. We don’t get to play our entire album live so I guess those 8-10 are our favorites.

RM: If I had to pick one it would be “Farrah Fawcett Hair” just because it was the most fun to produce and it’s the most experimental track. So it is an interesting representation of who we are as musicians and kind of takes you beyond the pop veneer of “Safe and Sound.”

SS: Funny enough that’s the only track on the album without our voices on it.  Maybe that’s a sign we should sing less!

QRM:  What was it like getting to work with Andre 3000 on your track “Farrah Fawcett Hair?”

SS:  We were blessed to have the opportunity to have him record a verse on the track. We actually didn’t get to meet him, we sent him the track and he recorded his parts and sent them back to us. We had a quick conversation.

Check out some of the photos from the show on Facebook.

The post Five minutes with Capital Cities during their stopover in Toronto appeared first on Quip Magazine.

The matching embroidered jackets, the bright lights, the contagiously energetic trumpet player, and the in-perfect-tune vocals were just the beginning. There is something in a small way magical about hearing two voices that are that much alike. Quite frankly, Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian finding each other was a gift to pop culture.

“Maybe it’s time that you see us dance a little.” And dance they did, along with the entire audience clapping, spinning and singing, while one by one, everyone’s plus-ones were converted to fans.

A bold statement it might be, but from original songs to retro covers, Capital Cities’s well-rehearsed and curated performance is eye (and ear) candy that cannot be missed.

The post Singing and dancing: Capital Cities live at the MOD Club appeared first on Quip Magazine.