Montreal’s most famous retro-keyboard-synth-pop-’80s nostalgic duo, a bubbling cauldron of funk, released their third studio album, Business Casual on September 14th.
You’re wondering if that was a body double, aren’t you? The answer:
Of course, he’s about a foot shorter when he dances. But that’s not important.
Who are these guys? Dave Macklovitch, better known as Dave 1: guitar and lead vocals, and Patrick Gemayel, a.k.a. P-Thugg: keyboards, synthesizers, and funky talk box. Friends from high school, Dave 1 and P-Thugg created Chromeo in 2001. Their first album, the tight, electro-flavored She’s In Control dropped in 2004 to generally favorable reviews and comparisons to Hall & Oates. The funkiest single off the album, “Needy Girl” became a worldwide hit. With 2007’s Fancy Footwork, the duo updated to a slicker, fuller, and more accessible sound with the hits “Fancy Footwork” and “Bonafide Lovin’.”
Business Casual reiterates their devotion to sexy soirees, the carefree dance floor rendezvous, witty flirtation, and outrageous suits with the aid of glossy grooves and syrupy funk. But there’s a concerted effort on the album to outgrow the ’80s imitator label and prove that they have more to offer than pure nostalgia. The results aren’t always clear. Some tracks simply expand on the full and polished themes from Fancy Footwork, like the sly, down tempo disco on “Don’t Turn The Lights On,” or the shining, early ’80s disco on “The Right Type.” The trend continues with “Night by Night,” a thumping, guitar-laden homage to nocturnal activities, and the not-so-aptly-titled “Hot Mess,” which somehow brings the funk out of relationship drama, of all things. The band takes a step backward to She’s In Control with the minimal, pent-up beats of “You Make It Rough,” they take genre experimentation too far with the clumsy, out-of-character “J’ai Claque La Porte,” but redeem themselves slightly with “Grow Up” a song that sounds like it belongs on the adult version of Yo Gabba Gabba (a show they’ve rocked before).
Business Casual is a solid, if not unspectacular third effort that won’t be the expected breakout album for the duo. Chromeo seem to want more from their music, but aren’t headed in the same trajectory that Fancy Footwork set them out on. That said, every release by the self-described “only successful Arab/Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture” is a blast to listen to and demands a play through on the boom box (that is, if you have one).