In a Tidal Wave of Mystery
| In a Tidal Wave of Mystery | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 4, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2010–2013 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:45 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer |
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| Capital Cities chronology | ||||
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| Singles from In a Tidal Wave of Mystery | ||||
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In a Tidal Wave of Mystery is the debut studio album of American indie pop duo Capital Cities, released on June 4, 2013, under Capitol Records. It was preceded by the single "Safe and Sound" in January 2011, which ultimately became their most successful song worldwide. The album features a sole guest appearance from André 3000.
Background and production[edit]
Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian worked as jingle writers for various companies before meeting on Craigslist and deciding to form Capital Cities.[1] The pair then wrote "Safe and Sound" and began working on their debut album; the title In a Tidal Wave of Mystery originates from a lyric in the third verse of "Safe and Sound". Merchant and Simonian wrote, composed, produced and mixed the entirety of the album, with the exception of "Lazy Lies", produced by Simon Mills.[2] Outkast member André 3000, vocalist Shemika Secrest and NPR's Frank Tavares are featured on the song "Farrah Fawcett Hair", while vocalist Soseh is featured on "Chasing You".[2]
The Deluxe Edition Bonus Track of this album features a cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U".
Release[edit]
The album's cover artwork was designed by Brazilian artist João Lauro Fonte.[3]
In a Tidal Wave of Mystery was released on June 4, 2013, by Capitol Records and was the first Capitol Records album to be distributed by Universal Music Group, following the break-up of Capitol's previous distributor EMI. It was released on compact disc and 180 gram heavyweight black vinyl, limited to 5,000 copies. It debuted at number 66 on the United States Billboard 200 albums chart. A deluxe vinyl version of the album, including the digital album's four bonus track, was reissued in 2014 on 2xLP.[4]
Singles[edit]
The album's lead single "Safe and Sound" was released digitally on January 6, 2011.[5] Capitol Records serviced the single to United States modern rock radio over a year later on November 27, 2012,[6] and it topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.[7] It subsequently became the duo's breakout hit, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching the top ten of numerous mainstream charts internationally.[8]
"Kangaroo Court" was issued as the second single on June 7, 2013[9] and impacted US modern rock radio on August 6, 2013.[10] "I Sold My Bed, But Not My Stereo" was released digitally in select territories on November 11, 2013, as the third overall single from the album.[11] "One Minute More", originally released as a stand-alone single on April 14, 2011,[12] was later included on the deluxe edition of In a Tidal Wave of Mystery and re-released as the album's fourth single on March 25, 2014.[13]
Though not a single, the album's twelfth track, "Love Away", was originally released as the final track of their 2011 self-titled extended-play.
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| Gigwise | 7/10[15] |
| Spin | 6/10[16] |
Matt Collar of AllMusic wrote a positive review of In a Tidal Wave of Mystery, describing it as an "infectious mix of synth-heavy dance pop" and drawing comparisons to American rock group MGMT and Italian musician Giorgio Moroder.[14] Chloe Ravat of Gigwise wrote that Merchant and Simonian's "[jingle-writing] skills have been successfully transferred to their debut LP", opining that "[they] are damn sure on how to write a good electro pop song."[15] Ravat, however, felt that its tracks, while good, did not contain "enough individuality in them to distinguish one from the others or stop each blurring into the next", ultimately describing the album as a whole as "good background listening for a lazy summer's day spent on a picnic blanket, [but] a little too late in the year."[15] Chuck Arnold of People wrote: "With its buoyant synth-pop sheen, 'Safe and Sound,' the hit single that opens this disc, is bound to be one of the songs of summer. And this new duo keep the hooks coming on tracks like 'I Sold My Bed but Not My Stereo.'"[17]
Track listing[edit]
All songs written and produced by Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Safe and Sound" | 3:13 | ||
| 2. | "Patience Gets Us Nowhere Fast" | 3:08 | ||
| 3. | "Kangaroo Court" | 3:43 | ||
| 4. | "I Sold My Bed, But Not My Stereo" | 3:55 | ||
| 5. | "Center Stage" | 4:02 | ||
| 6. | "Farrah Fawcett Hair" (featuring André 3000 and Guile) | Simonian, Merchant, André Benjamin | 3:50 | |
| 7. | "Chartreuse" | 3:39 | ||
| 8. | "Origami" | 3:45 | ||
| 9. | "Lazy Lies" | Simon Mills | 2:57 | |
| 10. | "Tell Me How to Live" | 3:24 | ||
| 11. | "Chasing You" (featuring Soseh) | 3:50 | ||
| 12. | "Love Away" | 3:43 | ||
| Total length: | 43:45 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "One Minute More" | 3:22 | |
| 14. | "Patience Gets Us Nowhere Fast" (Napoleon Remix) | 5:17 | |
| 15. | "Lazy Lies" (CliffLight Remix) | 3:52 | |
| 16. | "Nothing Compares 2 U" | Prince Nelson | 4:16 |
| 17. | "Safe and Sound" (Dzeko & Torres' Digital Dreamin Remix) | 5:43 | |
| Total length: | 65:43 | ||
- The iTunes version of the deluxe edition of the album omits "Nothing Compares 2 U."
Personnel[edit]
Credits for In a Tidal Wave of Mystery adapted from album liner notes.[2]
- Capital Cities
- Ryan Merchant – mixing, production, songwriting, vocals
- Sebu Simonian – mixing, production, songwriting, vocals
- Additional personnel
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Charts[edit]
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[18] | 53 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] | 151 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] | 156 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[21] | 163 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] | 75 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts Company)[23] | 187 |
| US Billboard 200[4] | 66 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[24] | 15 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[25] | 23 |
Certifications[edit]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico (AMPROFON)[26] | Platinum | 60,000* |
| United States (RIAA)[27] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
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* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References[edit]
- ^ Thomas, Fred. "Capital Cities – Biography". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ a b c In a Tidal Wave of Mystery (liner notes). Capital Cities. Capitol Records. 2013. 60253 73703 4 4.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Capital Cities investe em 'Safe and Sound' e lança terceiro videoclipe do single". TecoApple (in Portuguese). MTV Brasil. Viacom Media Networks. April 25, 2013. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
- ^ a b "Capital Cities Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ "Safe and Sound – Single by Capital Cities". iTunes Store (US). Apple. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
- ^ "Modern Rock – Airplay Archive". FMQB. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
- ^ "Capital Cities – Chart history: Alternative Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
- ^ "Capital Cities – Chart history: The Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
- ^ "Kangaroo Court – Capital Cities (Digital Download – EMI #)". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
- ^ "Alternative > Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "I Sold My Bed, But Not My Stereo – Single by Capital Cities". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^ "One Minute More – Single by Capital Cities". iTunes Store (US). Apple. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
- ^ "Alternative > Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
- ^ a b Collar, Matt. "In a Tidal Wave of Mystery – Capital Cities". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
- ^ a b c Ravat, Chloe (September 27, 2013). "Capital Cities – A Tidal Wave Of Mystery (Capitol)". Gigwise. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "SPIN's Review Roundup: 100 Lengthy and Tweet-Sized Takes on June 2013's New Releases". Spin. July 10, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
- ^ Arnold, Chuck (July 15, 2013). "Picks and Pans: Music". People. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Capital Cities – In a Tidal Wave of Mystery" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Capital Cities – In a Tidal Wave of Mystery" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Capital Cities – In a Tidal Wave of Mystery" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Capital Cities – In a Tidal Wave of Mystery". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Officialcharts.de – Capital Cities – In a Tidal Wave of Mystery". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
- ^ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart: CLUK Update 12.10.2013 (wk40)". Zobbel.de. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Capital Cities Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Capital Cities Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved October 6, 2021. Type Capital Cities in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and In a Tidal Wave of Mystery in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
- ^ "American album certifications – Capital Cities – In a Tidal Wave of Mystery". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
