Cherub's Mom & Dad

What would happen if Prince were actually both a guy and a girl and then made electronic soul music? While that may all seem like a bit of a reach, Cherub are efforting to find out the answer to that question on their new album Mom & Dad. Laden with funk-lite, pseudo sex talk, soulful vocals, and enough electronic squiggling to make a hipster go on a bender, Mom & Dad is baby making music for hipsters everywhere.

All that being sad, Mom & Dad is quite a good record. While it's obvious these guys have tapped into their inner Prince it's also blindingly obvious that Cherub have studied the entire Scissor Sisters back catalog. Disco influences abound and 80's funk sounds nearly create a rift in the space time continuum taking us back to 1984 they're so prominent. There isn't a song or sound here that sounds 21st century and if it weren't for some of the language you would swear that this record was from the 80's. That retro-futurism is why this record succeeds; it's so lost in the 80's, drugs, Members Only, and keytars that it has no desire to be part of the New Power Generation or anything similar.

Mom & Dad is a fantastic record of electronic soul. It's synth'd out grooves, imitation vocals, talk boxes, discotastic grooves, and it's vintage feel makes every song a blast from the past. From the so Prince it hurts, “Monogamy,” to the intense workout of, “Dear Body,” this is a record that's as much of a homage as it is authentic. If there's one 80's electronic album you should buy this year, Cherub's Mom & Dad would be my recommendation. The past just doesn't sound any cooler than when it's shared with your Mom & Dad.