Los Angeles indie electro unit Capital Cities first came together as the duo of composer/songwriters Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian. The two were initially working as jingle writers and met on Craigslist in 2011. Shortly after meeting, they released an EP online, which included the song "Safe and Sound," an upbeat mash of programming and melody that went viral and gained the act a lot of Internet exposure. Eventually, Merchant and Simonian were joined by bassist Manny Quintero, trumpeter Spencer Ludwig, guitarist Nick Merwin, and drummer Channing Holmes.