Cheat Codes In Concert
The Los Angeles EDM-pop trio Cheat Codes are proof that hard work is a surer guarantee of success than any shortcut — never mind what their name might suggest. The three musicians have spent years honing their chops — and honing in on the slinky future-bass anthems that they would perfect with songs like "No Promises," their 2017 smash featuring Demi Lovato.
Singer/frontman Trevor Dahl dropped out of his Oregon high school at 16 years old and signed to Atlantic as the pop project Plug in Stereo, and his earliest releases date back to 2009. St. Louis' Matthew Russell cut his teeth in various genres before linking up with the Calabasas, California, native Kevin Ford, a hip-hop producer.
After sharing bills and occasionally apartments, the three officially got their start together in 2015, featuring on the German progressive-house producer Moguai's single "Hold On." That was followed by collaborations with Robin Schulz and David Guetta, Fetty Wap & CVBZ, Quintino, Dante Klein, DVBBS, and more.
Cheat Codes zeroed in on their sound quickly, fusing the buoyant synths of tropical house with feathery trap hi-hats and finger snaps, and topping it all off with Dahl's breezily yearning vocals. With 2016's "Sex" (a clever trop-house flip of Salt-N-Pepa's "Let's Talk About Sex"), they stepped up with a legendary hook and a mood to match.
In 2018, the moods just got bigger, with a steady stream of singles that were by turns provocative (the fittingly titled "NSFW"), aspirational ("Balenciaga"), and yearning ("Home"). They even notched a remix of U2's "Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way."
The group's hybrid DJ/live shows are making an impact to match, flipping between classic remixes, heart-on-sleeve ballads, and fist-in-the-air bangers, all topped by Dahl's supremely relatable vocals. As they sing on "Feels Great" — "Do you remember how it feels to be young?" If you could distill that feeling, the label on the bottle would surely say "Cheat Codes."
