Chromeo shows us what it means to be funky in middle age

Q29:02Chromeo: Adult Contemporary, growing up, and what it means to be funky as you approach middle age

The Canadian electro-funk duo Chromeo has spent 20 years making club hits about romantic escapades and having a good time, but their latest album, Adult Contemporary, feels like an acknowledgment of getting older and settling down.

Now in their mid-40s, Chromeo's David Macklovitch and Patrick Gemayel, better known as Dave 1 and P-Thugg, are facing midlife head on with tracks like (I Don't Need A) New Girl, which muses on monogamy and commitment.

"We are [getting older], but we're not getting any less funky," Macklovitch says in a conversation with Q's Tom Power alongside Gemayel. He adds that the new record is "grown and sexy."

But Adult Contemporary doesn't just reflect where Chromeo's heads are at right now. The way Macklovitch sees it, the album is also "true to a certain cultural moment that we're going through."

As an example, he points to the Grammys earlier this month, which featured several performances by older artists like Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman and Billy Joel, as well as a surprise appearance by Céline Dion and some big wins for Atlanta hip-hop veteran Killer Mike, who swept the rap categories.

"The Grammys was like a coronation of middle-aged artists — and even older artists," he says. "I think there's a movement towards adults." 

As they age, Gemayel says Chromeo's only goal is to stay honest with themselves and make music that's true to them.

"We're not trying to jump on any trend — we have never tried to do that," he tells Power. "We're definitely not going to try to jump on the pop bandwagon or try to sound or look younger than we are. We're just being very honest with ourselves. Always be honest with yourself. Longevity is the key. You can't fool anybody, people are not stupid."

WATCH | Official video for (I Don't Need A) New Girl:

The full interview with Chromeo is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. They also talk about getting back to their roots and 20 years of the band. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Chromeo produced by Vanessa Nigro.