Chromeo

Chromeo, the Montreal electro-funk duo, has long drawn on talkboxes, vintage drum machines, and glossy synthetic keyboard textures while mining the richest seams of 1980s funk and broadcast R&B for its evolving aesthetic. Although the pair openly channels the spirit of Zapp, Prince, and Hall & Oates, its approach grew steadily more polished over time, marked by increasingly intricate production and subtler songcraft. That reverence for classic dance-floor architects and unapologetic pop devotion peaked with the star-laden fourth album, White Women, issued in 2014. Another studio effort, Head Over Heels, followed in 2018, succeeded by an EP and the first live collection, Date Night: Chromeo Live!, which surfaced in 2022. Their sixth album, Adult Contemporary, landed in 2024 and channeled the duo’s hallmark sound toward reflections on middle age.

The project originated in 2002 when Montreal producers David “Dave One” Macklovitch and Patrick “Pee Thug” Gemayel joined forces. Dave One handled vocals while both former hip-hop producers played multiple instruments and infused their early work with deep affection for classic funk and soul. Late in 2003 the single “Destination Overdrive” emerged, backed by the shimmering B-side “Needy Girl,” a track reminiscent of Yaz’s “Situation,” and accompanied by a DFA remix. That release paved the way for the proper debut album She’s in Control, which Vice issued in early February 2004. To bridge gaps between LPs, Chromeo supplied two mixtapes—Un Joli Mix Pour Toi in 2005 and Ce Soir on Danse! in 2006—while continuing to tour and develop new material. Fancy Footwork arrived in summer 2007, showcasing a sleeker sonic palette and more overtly pop-oriented writing, aided by mixing from Cassius’ Philippe Zdar, and spawned a flood of remixes. In summer 2008 the duo teamed with Hall & Oates’ Daryl Hall for an installment of his online series Live from Daryl’s House. While fans waited for the next record, Chromeo delivered DJ-Kicks in 2009.

The group resurfaced in August 2010 with Business Casual, released stateside via Atlantic Records. The 2013 singles “Over Your Shoulder” and “Sexy Socialite” both appeared on the subsequent year’s White Women, an album boasting guest spots from Solange, Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, and, underscoring the pair’s debt to early-’80s R&B, vocalist Tawatha Agee of Mtume. The project marked Chromeo’s highest Billboard debut to date and came within a hair’s breadth of the Top Ten. Four years afterward the band issued its fifth album, Head Over Heels, another guest-heavy affair featuring DRAM, French Montana, Amber Mark, and additional contributors. In 2020 the duo established its own imprint, Juliet Records, and released the COVID-19-themed Quarantine Casanova EP, which included timely cuts such as “Clorox Wipe” and “Six Feet Away.” The first concert album, Date Night: Chromeo Live!, arrived in 2022, recorded during the 2019 U.S. tour.

A string of singles followed, among them “Raspberry Blush,” “Words with You,” and the 2023 collaboration “Clusterfunk” with A-Trak and Ric Wilson. Reportedly sparked by a remark Dave One overheard from a flight attendant, “Personal Effects” surfaced in February 2024 as the initial preview of the sixth album, Adult Contemporary. Released the same month, the record offered an introspective examination of remaining funky amid middle age and included a contribution from La Roux. Adult Contemporary peaked at number 21 on Billboard’s Electronic chart; later that year Chromeo issued an expanded deluxe edition.