In an era where Autotuned rap over trap beats is king, Canadian funk duo Chromeo’s fifth album injects a sorely needed aspect back into modern pop music: fun.
The album opens with the infectiously summery pop gem that is ‘Must’ve Been’ featuring American rapper D.R.A.M. It’s a perfect introduction to the tone of the entire album, with sugary sweet synths and a Nile Rogers style guitar hook. The bangers come thick and fast after this strong opening, quickly followed up by the slap bass infused ‘Don’t Sleep’ (featuring excellent appearances from French Montana and Stefflon Don) and the 80s-style slow burn of ‘One Track Mind’. One of the more quintessential moments of the album comes in the form of ‘Count Me Out’, which is just pure funk swagger that is absolutely sure to get some part of you moving to the beat.
Lyrically it’s a typical Chromeo affair, with the topics mostly being about the funk staples; having a good time and trying to get that sexy woman to notice you. Whilst many people could use the lyrical lack of depth as criticism, here at NAMB we realise that not every record has to feature deeply profound lyrical content. What’s great about this album (and all Chromeo albums actually) is that it approaches lyrics at face value and does not have hidden meanings buried under layers of metaphor, which makes for a more accessible and relatable experience for the listener.
The songwriting across this album has matured drastically from previous efforts, featuring a good amount of changes in pacing and rhythms. Where other albums fell flat in places due to strange structural decisions, Head Over Heels consistently delights with its balance of energetic pop songs (‘Just Friends’) and slower, groovier funk jams (‘Right Back Home to You’).
One of the highlights of the album is almost definitely first single ‘Juice’, which features bouncy synths set over layers of satisfying snaps that guide you into a relaxed yet instantly danceable chorus. Vocalist/guitarist Dave1 uses fabulously audacious analogies about juice (“you got the juice, that’s why I keep pressing you”) to explain his relationship with a woman too good for him in a most entertaining way, it’s pretty much guaranteed to make you smile. This is, of course, backed up by instrumentalist P-Thugg’s ever fantastic synth and talkbox work, consistently complementing each other in a back and forth exchange of slickly delivered guitar licks and exuberant examples of classic disco synthesis.
It’s a track that knows exactly what it needs to be, and doesn’t try to do anything more. This lack of filler is a sentiment that extends across the whole album, which features some of Chromeo’s best work to date, and it’s just so damn fun. We realise we already said that at the start of the review, but when was the last time you said that about an album?
8/10
Best track - Juice
Worst track - Slumming It
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