As Dave 1's younger brother A-Trak began gaining recognition for being a DJ Child Prodigy, he and P-Thugg joined forces and began composing music, which caught the attention of Tiga, who was Dave 1's colleague in a record store.
Their first album She's in Control released in Canada and the USA in February 2004 (releasing worldwide gradually months later) to favorable reviews, but was a commercial disappointment, only rescued by the track "Needy Girl", which was a nightclub staple, according to Dave 1. But the middling legacy worked in Chromeo's favor as they became a notable touring act with frequent appearances at music festivals with enough clout to have All-Star Cast albums.
Chromeo has been compared to Hall & Oates and were a Special Guest on Hall's Live From Daryl's House in 2008. Outside of albums, they released an Electronic Dance Music album in 2005 titled Un Joli Mix Pour Toi and appeared on DJ Mehdi's track "I Am Somebody".
Discography
- She's in Control (2004)
- Un Joli Mix Pour Toi (2005)
- Fancy Footwork (2007)
- Business Casual (2010)
- White Women (2014)
- Head over Heels (2018)
- Quarantine Casanova (2020)
- Adult Contemporary (2024)
Tropes
- Bathos: The motif of women's legs, the album covers and the music videos use this constantly. Their "Old 45s" videos even have a cameo from the Indie Pop bathos queens HAIM, in which Este beats someone with a pool cue in B-Roll.
- Big Guy, Little Guy: Dave 1 to P-Thugg.
- Everyone Went to School Together: The duo were high school students at Collège Stanislas de Montréal.
- The Faceless: If a woman appears on the album cover, her face is either obscured or purposely hidden. Double subverted with Adult Contemporary where the woman's face a visible but she's too far away to notice with Chromeo and the recording room they're in with a mixing desk distracting the viewer.
- Face on the Cover: From Fancy Footwork onwards has a variation of this with a comedic slant.
- Leg Focus: Album covers highlight women's legs a lot. On Head Over Heels, it's Chromeo's legs being the focus.
- Live Album: 2021's Date Night: Chromeo Live!.
- Real Life Writes the Plot:
- Their extended play Quarantine Casanova was inspired by the many COVID-19 Pandemic lockdowns and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests.
- In a case of Time Marches On, Adult Contemporary was described as "staying funky in your thirties and forties" and critics pointed out it was less about frivalous flings.
- "Sesame Street" Cred: Appeared on Yo Gabba Gabba! in 2009 and performed a song about hand-washing.
- Special Guest: La Roux is a featured artist on "Replacements" and Ezra Koenig featured on "Ezra's Interlude".