All it takes is one hit to break through, and Trevor Dahl, Kevin Ford and Matthew Russell have it. The LA-based electronic pop trio known as Cheat Codes teamed with Demi Lovato for “No Promises,” an addictive, danceable hit that’s steadily climbing Billboard’s Hot 100.
The song has exactly the right sound for the current radio moment, and Lovato, whose “Sorry Not Sorry” is also soaring up the charts, is the perfect musical partner. “We played a show with her in São Paolo, and when we came back to LA, there were great Brazilian fans who were saying we should collaborate and Tweeting at her a bunch,” Russell explains. “We had this song and sent it to her team—she was the only one we sent it to—and she liked it. It only took her a couple hours in the studio to knock it out. It was really cool working with her, so relaxed and chill, but she’s been doing it for so long it’s probably just second nature.”
Cheat Codes has another new song coming out this month, but Russell is keeping quiet on the details, saying only that they’ll play it at Intrigue Thursday night. Now that “No Promises” has exposed this team to new audiences, they’re looking to capitalize by releasing all different types of new music.
“Honestly, we just have so many songs that we need to have a big meeting and decide how and when we want to put them out,” Russell says. “No matter what, we are definitely working on a bigger body of work, whether it’s an EP or an album. We really want to work on a three-part album that showcases each of us individually as well as a group, because we all come from different musical backgrounds. And you can see that in the way we do our shows, because we like to play some eclectic stuff that you don’t expect to go together.” Cheat Codes at Intrigue at Wynn, October 12.