So So Gay
Cameron Maxwell and Adam Bailey are two talented and handsome 23 year-olds from Austin, Texas who form the great new pop duo that is DATABOY. They say the concept of the band is ‘a spontaneous combustion of everything you love and love to hate about pop music. Born in the 80′s, kids of the 90′s, inspired by the sounds of the new millennium’. DATABOY’s electro-pop tunes feature wonderfully catchy hooks, slamming beats, and Cameron and Adam’s smooth vocals. The talented twosome work as the singers, songwriters, and producers behind their music.
The duo moved to New York a few years ago to pursue their dreams of pop music stardom, and began setting about putting together their first full-length album. Since then the guys have been putting out the odd song here and there and performed at the South by Southwest music festival in the US. They’ve also been working on several interesting collaborations; having recently they teamed up for a song and video with international selling Danish DJ/Producer Rune RK titled ‘Memorize Me.’ It’s a smooth electronic club banger that does a great job of showcasing Cameron and Adam’s vocals. The hilarious video has clocked almost 200,000 views online and features two mischievous little boys who appear to be crashing a gay pride festival.
Recently the band was asked to contribute a track to Aztec Records’ This Beat Is Poptronik project. A unique compilation album that we raved about in a review earlier this week, DATABOY provide the high-energy track ‘Stupid’. At first it sounds like a regular sleekly produced clubbing anthem, but repeated listens reveal a real grower of a track with lots of fun stuff going on in the background. In this number the boys cheekily claim they’re stupid and need to be taught if it’s ‘okay to mix Crown with Bacardi’ among cutting synth lines, bursts of hand-clapping, and various vocal effects. A great quality of DATABOY’s music is how detailed and varied the production is, without ever feeling cluttered or messy.
In anticipation of their debut album Dreams are Gold, the boys have just released a great 5-track EP titled Summer Now. They are currently offering it as a free download on their website. The EP starts off with the cheeky beach song ‘Lotion’ – all sunscreen rub-downs and frolics in the sun. Another thing we love about DATABOY is their knack for a cleverly saucy lyric. On the next track ’8-Ball’ the boys manage to turn lyrics about a magic 8-ball and a game of table pool into musical aphrodisiacs. They coyly croon ‘if you got a question all you gotta do babe, is shake it like an 8-ball … 8 in the pocket don’t knock till you rock it, 8 in the pocket can we go for the win?’ The track is an incredibly catchy synth-laced come-on.
Summer Now also features two very different remixes of DATABOYS’ great track ‘Just Once’. The ‘You Da One Remix’ brilliantly incorporates samples of Rihanna’s song of the same name. One of Rihanna’s weakest singles, ‘You Da One’ suffered from a grating repetitiveness. We’d go as far as to say DATABOY cure that track of the problem and subsequently present a stronger variation of the original.
While that first ‘Just Once’ remix is a sexy Caribbean-flavoured chat-up of a track, the second ‘Audien Summer Remix’ differs greatly and showcases the fun escapism inherent in the song’s melody and lyrics. This number provides an epic and joyous ending to the EP, over propulsive four-to-the-floor beats the boys plea ‘lets go downtown it’s the summer now, we can break-up later, it’s the summer now’. Why anyone would want to break-up with either of these lads in the first place is a mystery to us.
Elsewhere on the EP the mysteriously seductive ‘Sweat Part 1′ appears. At only a minute and a half in length, this quirky little track serves as a great interlude between the two remixes. One of the things we really love about Summer Now is how it makes for such a fun and cohesive listen. EPs often play out like several random tracks thrown together, but Summer Now actually works best as an epic fifteen minute song. It’s obvious that DATABOY pay great attention to detail in all of their work.
We strongly recommend that you check out the DATABOY website for the free EP and some more info on the band. They’re also lovely to engage with on Twitter and Facebook. Currently DATABOY are gearing up to release their debut album Dreams are Gold. Stay tuned to So So Gay for a full review of the album when it drops next month.
