REVIEW: Tuxedo – Fux With The Tux EP

[embed width="640" height="450"]https://soundcloud.com/tuxedofunk/sets/fuxwiththetux[/embed]

Disco-funk revivalists Tuxedo have just dropped a brand new surprise EP. The duo first hatched as a 2006 collaboration between L.A. neo-soul singer-songwriter Mayer Hawthorne and Seattle-based producer Jake One. Their 2015 self-titled debut showcased a vibrant set of tunes in the vein of electro-funk luminaries Chic and Zapp. Tuxedo also sported the “mixed by” imprimatur of NYC disco DJ legend John Morales and boasted just enough modern instrumentation to give it contemporary bump.

The time seems ripe for a proper bringing back of the boogie, and Tuxedo’s latest EP, Fux With The Tux, self-appoints them as just the duo to do it.

The title track is straight-ahead, four-on-the-floor disco gold, complete with spoken word interlude: “No complainin’, just champagne-in’. Cuz the only time you wear a tuxedo is when it’s time to party.”

“July” summons a sizzling summertime mood to praise a lady whose “Isabel Marants and that je ne sais quoi…just threw a wrench in my whole situation.” And Tuxedo does Kool & The Gang right on “Special”—even if the hook sounds just a little too reminiscent of “Treasure” by Bruno Mars.

While indulging the customary ‘70s disco touchstones, Tuxedo are thankfully as free of self-seriousness, whether it's advertising their astrological signs (Hawthorne's an Aquarius; Jake One's a Taurus) or posing for pictures like this. Their breezy, uncalculated approach is a breath of fresh air. Hopefully this isn't the last we'll hear from them in 2017.