Chromeo’s “Quarantine Casanova” EP is a fabulously funky, tongue-in-cheek return to form

The Canadian funk duo have returned with a set of pandemic-themed tunes to keep the shelter-in-place party going well into the summer

Something about funk music just sounds right in the summertime. Smooth synths and sexy guitars are destined to find their home at a humid rooftop party, where the sun setting against thumping basslines makes the night feel like it’ll last forever. Chromeo, the Canadian electro-funk band known for their ice-cold synths and even cooler wordplay, innately understand this. Three of the duo’s five studio albums have been released in the warm summer months when the groovy tunes have had the chance to flow from May’s beach days to July’s heatwaves. But with the entire northern hemisphere almost entirely shut down during a global pandemic, how does Chromeo get down when warm breeze bass is replaced with shelter-in-place?

Turns out, not much differently! The duo’s new EP, Quarantine Casanova, is filled with the same earworm synth-funk sounds and slick-tongued lyricism that has defined the band since the release of their debut album She’s in Control in 2004. Dave1 and P-Thugg (real names David Macklovitch and Patrick Gemayel) flex their skills over five exceedingly clever pandemic-themed tracks that provide a solid sliver of respite for anyone dying to get out of their house.

Any longtime fans disappointed by Chromeo’s 2018 album Head Over Heels will find themselves more than satisfied this time around. While their last LP wasn’t a failure by any means, it felt as if it was missing something that had been a constant on every Chromeo release prior: the humor. Head Over Heels was a more mature side of Chromeo, an album with a refined sound that traded puns for polish. Its sound was firmly planted in late-80s guitar and drum-led funk that felt retro without the band’s usual modern twist listeners have come to expect and it was almost entirely devoid of the same clever wordplay that has permeated other releases. In fact, the wittiest lyric on record came from lead single “Juice” (“you’ve got the juice/that’s why I keep pressin’ ya pressin’ ya”). Though cuts like “Just Friends (feat. Amber Mark)” and “Bedroom Calling pt. 2 (feat. The Dream)” were some of the band’s most electrifying in the last decade, they felt more like spotlights for the featured artists with the core playfulness of the duo at the center getting pushed to the background.

But if there’s a band that can adequately balance the darkness of a global health crisis with some much-needed humor, it’s Chromeo. Quarantine Casanova is packed to the brim with jokes, wordplay, and genius rhymes without managing to sacrifice any of the funk at its heart. It’s both staggering and dazzling to hear how well the construction of the songwriting pairs with that of the production. When Dave1 coos “your recipe won’t rescue me, your workout plan is stressin’ me/your movie list is dubious, I don’t wanna read a book it’s tedious” over glossy synths on “Stay In Bed (And Do Nothing),” a song about social media-induced lethargy, it recalls classic Chromeo rhymes like “never mind an SMS/what you need is a sweet caress” and “yep it’s the boy with glasses, giving you boarding passes/and if the flight’s delayed you might miss all your morning classes.”

The songs on Quarantine Casanova range from brilliantly playful to melancholy and introspective. A track like “Clorox Wipe” seems like an idea fully formed upon initial conception, a song about the most coveted thing in North America in the year 2020: a disinfecting rag. But in classic Chromeo fashion, Dave1 and P-Thugg have twisted the conceit to imagine themselves like the titular cleaning product — somebody who spent years waiting to be wanted who’s suddenly being valued by everyone, coming into the lives of single women across the country ready to sanitize the remnants of past relationships leftover on countertops, doorknobs, and groceries.

The EP’s second track, “6 Feet Away” contorts the classic love song about long-distance pining and places it in the context of the CDC’s current social distancing recommendations. The song’s sparkling keyboards and low guitars descend into a bridge built from the frustrations of wearing masks outside: “I can’t see without my glasses on, you can’t hear me when my mask is on/I panic if I’m not where you are, this pandemic has gone too far.” Sure it’s funny, but there’s also hints of the real aggravation we’re all feeling not being able to get close enough to the ones we love. “’’Roni Got Me Stressed Out” juggles fear and fun equally, with Dave1 namechecking Dr. Anthony Fauci before wondering if the band will be able to tour before 2029.

Quarantine Casanova’s best cut is its closing track, “Cabin Fever.” Sonically it sounds different than anything Chromeo has done before, trading the hyperactive, booming pure funk synths for tender keyboard chords that evoke a sound closer to nu-jazz. It’s more soulful, reflective, and vulnerable than they’ve ever let themselves be in the studio — the perfect blend of the maturity spotlighted on Head Over Heels and the darker, past-midnight electronica of 2010’s Business Casual.

There was no doubt, but even after two decades in the industry, Chromeo still has it. Quarantine Casanova is a welcome return to form for the most prolific funk duo of the 21st century. Leave it to Chromeo to turn global pandemic-induced existential ennui into something that would sound as good in a sweaty Miami club as it does in sweatpants.

[All proceeds from digital sales, vinyl, and merch sales of Quarantine Casanova will be donated to Know Your Rights Camp’s COVID-19 relief fund.]