The Weekly Coos

Chromeo never misses a chance to deliver the DISCO-FUNK grooves in electronica; when they do, it’s this safe space of melodies and harmonies that speak to the kindler nature of the genre, where you’re not trying to over-extend the flow through conjectures like overlong production that hinders pacing. With their first new full-length solo album, Adult Contemporary, since 2018’s Head Over Heels, it’s as if they never left. Their style oozes conventions of a lounge setting, an area or avenue where the music has enough pep to keep the mood tempered and the sonic infusion crisp. Unfortunately, as solid and fun as Chromeo is at establishing who they are—matured disco remedies that play to nostalgia and partying without losing sight of the end goal—one element they can’t seem to overcome is the mild and simplistic concepts that do little to move the needle. It’s one of the reasons why one of my favorite productions comes within a lackluster song that does little to shine on Dave 1 and LaRoux. The matured Adult Contemporary personifies what’s significant about Disco-Funk, even if Chromeo still manages to teeter in the middle of the line.

Adult Contemporary is an album filled with mini runs of tracks. You get short flurries of everything connecting and filled with traverse grooves, keeping you on the dance floor as if Chromeo was playing “Old 45s” from White Woman for the first time. Their writing balances perspective layers, allowing listeners to adjust some writing to a broader perspective, like “Old 45s,” which focuses on nostalgia and the traditionalism of romance’s connection with music instead of staying on a path too linear. Though not all songs fully have that intuitiveness, the way some of their writing blends with the ethereal themes of love and relationships comes from different setups, like “Lonesome Nights,” where the setting and trigger are more memorable than the typical crooning in a bedroom. Adult Contemporary is a blend of it all—some remedies for the party and some remedies for that solo dancing we love to do to elevated sad music (or, in many cases, EDM songs)—it knows how to weave the transitions to allow for a seamless listen from beginning to end, but to keep it a buck, the writing can be the motion that is the most lackluster in hindsight. 

Fortunately, Chromeo knows how to start a party—as evident with previous albums—it continues here, with the first two tracks of the album “(I Don’t Need A) New Girl” and “Got It Good” establishing its vibe that fills the air with sheer freedom and sex appeal. Much of the music reflects notions of love, situation-ships, and relationships, but they do it in a way that can mesh with the production to bellow something that can grip and have you fluttering with musical glee. When it can’t fully get there, it leaves you slightly wanting, and that’s an impression that lingers heavily in the first half of the album, specifically the tracks “Lost and Found,” “BTS,” “Replacements,” “Ballad of Insomniacs,” and “CODA,” which stares a little too close to the sun and doesn’t let you fully invest in everything else around them. The melodies aren’t the strongest, and they lose traction trying to be modestly different, like “CODA” and its stutter singing. It’s a disappointment because of how much the Disco-Funk elements empower and influence the production, especially since they have always had an interesting Electronic approach to blending genres. They have something here, but it isn’t close to the previous albums in quality.

Adult Contemporary has a few faults that downgrade it from being stellar, much of which I noted earlier; however, the album isn’t without its consistently unique and kaleidoscopic beats that keep you interested until the vocals come in. With those I’ve noted, the vocals are a prominent deterrent. It’s a disappointment when you have these varying instruments getting incorporated into the fray, whether it’s a saxophone or synth-keys. If it were purely an instrumental album, there wouldn’t be much hesitation in saying that I’d love the album, but it’s rocking through quality and some mild repetitiveness. As it goes through the motions, you’re left in awe by what works because it gets to a tier above as the different synths, keys, and percussion start forming and giving you some fantastical production. Some notables that swoon above and show how the brilliance of its synergy are the tracks “Word With You,” “Personal Effects,” “Friendsnlovers,” and “Replacements.” It ignites you and takes you to the floor, making you want to groove with the rhythms. It did with me, even with some of the mild disappointments.

As I leave you with these thoughts, know I did like quite a bit of the album, even if some of the negatives are hard to come by. And if you’re looking for something seamless and smooth, this may be up your alley, as the music doesn’t sway far from being safe electro-disco-funk and taking you to a dance floor all its own. I was one to have my head bobbing along, especially with the first two songs and the last two. Unfortunately, its disappointments hold more weight as a fan because you want to have that consistency afloat, but when taking away these moments from a future run-through, the tracks that excel leave for a memorable listen.