Los Angeles electronic trio, Cheat Codes, are known for their hit-making abilities. One of the most highly sought-after DJ groups in the world, Cheat Codes have set themselves apart by not being afraid to take risks.
No genre scares them. If it speaks to Cheat Codes, they’ll put their signature spin on it. They’ve worked with the best of the best in music, collaborating with the likes of Dolly Parton, Jason Derulo, U2, Wiz Khalifa, and most recently, Train.
With such a prolific band like Pat Monahan’s Train, you know you’re bound to get an unforgettable verse or two in every song. With “Bloom,” you combine the best of both worlds: Cheat Codes’ iconic backtracking and production with Train’s memorable vocal prowess.
“Bloom” isn’t the first single put out by Cheat Codes this year…but it stands out from the rest because it has all the makings of a hit. It’s high energy, pop-laden, and a refreshing take on dance-pop fusion that we don’t often get.
It’s been a whirlwind of a 2024 so far for Cheat Codes, who already released “Morning” with Jason Derulo, “Head Up” with Birdy, and “Stay Another Night” with Regard. What a good DJ group does is make every song feel new and fresh…and Cheat Codes has no problem standing out.
You can listen to “Bloom” here:
I got the opportunity to speak with Cheat Codes about their collaboration with Train, and how the single came to be. Check it out below!
PD: Your new single “Bloom” is a collaboration with Train, a group you’ve admired for a long time. How did this collaboration come about, and what was it like working with Pat Monahan and the band?
CC: Our good friend and writer Ben Samama showed us this record he was working on with Sophie T Simmons, we really like the melodies and lyrical concept. The idea of “bloom” opening up yourself up to a love that you would normally be guarded against, and ultimately changing yourself for the better seemed really powerful to us. We had been in contact with Train’s team and Pat for a few months so we thought the idea would be perfect for him and fleshed it out from there together with him and the band.
We wanted to make something that fit both of our sounds, so the original is more pop dance, but we also did an acoustic version with the whole band and captured that at the forum in LA where later we performed the song together for their tour. We’ve been listening to their music for so long its really full circle to perform with the legends.
PD: What sets “Bloom” apart from your other releases this year?
CC: We’ve had a lot of releases this year that are more club leaning releases, this has more of a summer vibe, coming in and out with live instruments. We wanted to make it sound and feel like this was a collab with “train” the whole band not just a track we produced and recorded vocals over.
PD: Given your impressive discography, how do you approach creating new music while keeping it fresh and engaging for your audience?
CC: I think sometimes we have ADD, so anytime something looks like a challenge for us, or we can stretch our imaginations to blur the boundaries of genre we’re pursue those ideas as much as possible.
PD: You’ve done multiple singles this year…Are you gearing up for a new album anytime soon?
CC: We’re focusing on singles right now but we’re open to anything.
PD: You’ve had an extensive range of collaborations from artists like Demi Lovato to Dolly Parton. What makes a good collaborator for your music and what made Train a perfect fit for “Bloom”?
CC: The through line for all those collaborators from Demi, to Dolly, to Train is that they were all willing to try something new, so thats one of the most important things. And then on our end we’re always trying to have so many ideas that could work with different artists and styles and sometimes its just seeing what sticks. With train the vocal idea fit perfectly with their style , we couldn’t think of anyone else that would really work, and when that happens, it can become a no brainer. I think with demi, it was more of a record that she hadn’t really done before.
PD: What future projects or plans are you excited about? Are there any new genres or collaborations you’re looking forward to exploring?
CC: We have some more club records coming soon, so be on the lookout for that. We started out in 2014, toplining vocals over other Dj’s records which was cool because we were able to develop trying different sounds and now we’re lucky enough to be in the position to just write and send vocal ideas out to established DJ’s in different sub genres that we wouldn’t produce ourselves. So be on the lookout out for that.