Chromeo
Adult Contemporary
BMG
Twenty years of waving the banner for sleazy, electro-phonic electro-funk is a lot, even for David “Dave 1” Macklovitch and Patrick “P-Thugg” Gemayel, the squelchy, horny, tongue-in-chic, synth-soul duo from Montreal. Since 2004’s She’s in Control, and through nu-disco classics such as 2007’s Fancy Footwork, Chromeo has repeatedly proven themselves to be strobe-lit, four-on-the-floor ready, and, at times, quirkily and raunchily innovative when sticking to what they know best.
With five albums as a duo (and, as of last year, one full-length with Chicago emcee Ric Wilson and Dave’s brother A-Trak) of sticking to future’s-past fuck-funk under their belt, and maturity beginning to set in, a natural resource for the duo circa Adult Contemporary is the mellower, grown-and-sexy vibes of molten-lava-like balladry, Italo disco, and a sound far less overproduced than their last four albums—something closer to the lo-fry, but glossier groove of their debut. You may not have ever expected Chromeo to stress that “Sometimes rest can be better than sex,” as they do on the ZYX-like “BTS,” or match cleaving import to cloudy synth backgrounds on slow dancers such as “A Cut Above” and “Lonesome Nights.”
Chromeo’s maturer, more sultry sound is a surprise—unless it isn’t, and they’re taking the piss as usual. If the latter is the case, then the misogyny of “CODA” and “Personal Effects” come off as moldy and dated. However, if Chromeo is indeed sailing into new waters, the shimmering, ’80s-esque adult rawk of “Words with You” and “Friendsnlovers” are wet, subtly wild, and a portent of a bright, fresh sound.
