In just over one year, dance trio Cheat Codes completed its three-part debut album, Hellraisers, with the final piece arriving in May. But long before then, the independent act was already working on its follow-up — and considering how to keep its fan base on its toes. The answer: a country album.
Having released the 2021 country collaborations “Never Love You Again” with Little Big Town and Bryn Christopher and “How Do You Love” with Lee Brice and Lindsay Ell, Cheat Codes felt inspired to keep building. “We had so much fun making [those songs], we just started working on a bunch of other ideas, and one turned into 13,” says Trevor Dahl. “It’s why we got into electronic music, because we’re able to explore other genres and other artists and not be stuck in one lane.”
Ahead of the as-yet-untitled album’s summer release — for which they tapped collaborators including Lady A, Jimmie Allen, Maddie & Tae and others — Dahl and bandmates KEVI and Matthew Russell revisit what excited them while exploring country music.
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Dolly Parton
Thanks to his sister, Dahl was exposed to country music in elementary school and later became a fan of everyone from Rascal Flatts to Taylor Swift. “I’ve always loved that country-pop stuff, and being able to dive into it with our music is really cool and something that I didn’t necessarily think we would be able to do when we started,” he says. As for other inspirations, the trio is unanimously all-in on Dolly Parton (Russell grew up going to the Dixie Stampede in Branson, Mo.), and the act even has a song concept for her that she may make a surprise appearance on. While favorite songs of hers include “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene,” the trio says if it had to choose, its idea for the country icon is most aligned with the even poppier “9 to 5.”
Stagecoach Festival
All three members mention the importance of attending California’s Stagecoach Festival in late April, with Russell saying, “I guess it’s similar to EDM in a way, where country music is the music but it’s also the lifestyle. That’s what sells you on it.” During the event, Cheat Codes hung out with Lee Brice and his band, and the trio also tossed back tequila shots with Guy Fieri. “It’s fun for us; we were having a good time,” recalls Dahl. KEVI, who has attended both Coachella and Stagecoach, believes the latter to be more family-oriented, observing that it’s much less about clout than “everyone having a good time together. It’s a different vibe, different energy.”
Nashville
Naturally, Cheat Codes spent some time in the city while making the upcoming album, including a trip for a Good Morning America performance with Brice. KEVI was there for a week: “I bought a truck because of it, honestly,” he says. “I filled up my closet with so many cowboy and western jackets, so much cool sh-t.” Russell adds that any amount of firsthand experience in a genre’s base is essential when sonically tapping in. “Everyone’s friendly, and everyone’s priorities are in a different place sometimes than if you’re in New York or in Los Angeles, where you’re worried about likes and being big on TikTok,” he says. “So I think when you experience [being there], you connect with the lyrics a little bit more and understand the storytelling.”
This story originally appeared in the June 25, 2022, issue of Billboard.