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Chromeo Unveil Groove-Laden Single ‘Replacements feat. La Roux’

Chromeo, the Canadian duo of David Dave 1 Macklovitch and Patrick P-Thugg Gemayel, have just released their new single ‘Replacements‘. The new track features the era-defining artist La Roux who made a surprise appearance at Chromeo’s Coachella sets to perform the track, as well as her iconic hit ‘Bulletproof‘.

The duo’s fifth appearance at Coachella featured an all-new stage design—including four custom chrome modular synth towers—and celebrated bangers from throughout the band’s career, plus music from a forthcoming new project debuted live for the first time ever. Rolling Stone raved, “Chromeo proved once again that nobody does it like the Funklordz,” while Variety lauded the “can’t-stand-still-dancing exuberance” of their set.  

‘Replacements’ follows Chromeo’s first official single since 2018, ‘Words With You‘, which was released last month to acclaim from Stereogum, who named the track “contagiously funky,” while Consequence of Sound praised the song’s “grooving bassline and irresistible synths.”

Now nearly 20 years into their storied career, Chromeo has stayed busy since the release of their fifth album, 2018’s ‘Head Over Heels‘, which earned them their first Grammy nomination. 2020 acted as a catalyst for the duo, who initiated a slew of funding drives following the year’s historically challenging events. Their spur-of-the-moment, lockdown-inspired EP, ‘Quarantine Casanova‘, raised over $150,000 in proceeds donated to Know Your Rights Camp for COVID relief in POC communities. They followed up in 2021 with a career-spanning live album, ‘Date Night: Chromeo Live!‘, which raised over $50,000 for the Touring Professionals Alliance. Limited edition merch initiatives have now become part of the group’s MO, with 100% net proceeds donated to Frontera Fund (for abortion access across the Rio Grande Valley) and Impact Lebanon (for humanitarian relief following 2020’s explosion in Beirut).

P-Thugg, a Lebanon native, continues his involvement in the Middle East and North Africa today with his Ya Habibi Market, a collective of multidisciplinary creatives, artists, and designers using an array of graphic-led approaches to give back to communities.

Chromeo even created their own label, Juliet Records, which marked a new chapter for the band as they seek to mentor up-and-coming artists. Releases include Chromeo-produced records from rising R&B artist and fashion icon Ian Isiah, New York avant-jazz ensemble Onyx Collective and Montreal keyboard virtuoso Anomalie. Chromeo also turned their attention to producing for other artists including Omar ApolloBlu DeTiger and Ric Wilson, plus Dave 1’s turn as executive producer of Vampire Weekend‘s Grammy-winning ‘Father of the Bride‘.

Montreal natives and high school best friends, Dave 1 and P-Thugg, rose to prominence with their seminal 2007 release ‘Fancy Footwork‘, heralding the dawn of the ’80s electro-funk revival; then in 2014, garnered further mainstream appeal with their chart-topping album ‘White Women‘. Chromeo’s five LPs have been hailed as modern funk masterworks, and they have toured the world for two decades. More from Chromeo is imminent.

Written by John Zebra