3D The Boss

Remember that time forty years ago when exercise became a cultural phenomenon?? One of many fascinating trends of the 1980s was the domination of aerobics in the zeitgeist. Time magazine proclaimed the “Fitness Craze” the defining feature of 1981. Yuppie culture drove people to eat healthily and get moving. The slacker era of the 60s and 70s was dead. Now it was all about chiselling the body and making that money. Jane Fonda's Workout videos, neon and spandex, that infamous thrusting scene with John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis from the movie 'Perfect'. The music was right there too, often driving the trend. The hypnotic pump of disco had spilled over to the new decade in the form of synthpop. The funky 70s disco bass was complimented by the punchy supersonic nature of the quickly evolving synthesizer. Olivia Newton John's 'Physical' led the way for a trove of hits designed to light a fire under your ass during your workout.

Exercise culture is experiencing another peak today. There's a universal push to get the tightest body with huge swaths of the population that would never have set foot in a gym before becoming full-blown gym rats. Pushed by Instagram and TikTok stories filling up with users posting their workouts and the endless supply of programs, supplements, and apparatuses, workout culture has never been more prevalent on the collective mind.

Atlanta-based cardio pop trio 3D The Boss are harnessing this wave with their latest album Push It. The record is specially crafted to drive you to gains at the gym with steady beats and motivational lyrics. At times, the group focuses on the rewards of a prime body like attention, a healthy love life, and bragging rights. The rest is focussed directly on pedalling that extra mile and squatting that last rep to get the job done. The record is brought to life by the enigmatic low end of Lady Bass who winds her poppin' licks through each “routine”.

Fuzzy guitar lays the groundwork for a synth brass fanfare and envelope filtered bass to kick off 'Go'. Lady Bass then takes off with a pedal down slap fest to classic 80s drum machine patches. The band bounces with the flare of Prince's funk throwdowns. Vocalist C Lei Boss Lady calls out workout commands with hype women riding her tail. Hardcore jazzercize for the 2020s. 'BBGG (Big Boys Good Girls)' uses a fast-paced mambo to tell the tales of late-night infidelities. Snappy verses led by a bouncing bass line spreads out to a big halftime chorus. The creeping theme continues on to the subversive 'Sneaky Peeky'. The beat recalls Britney's turn of the millennium hits. C Lei plays coquette, errantly tossing in a line from Rockwell's 'Somebody's Watching Me' before the voyeuristic chorus “You want a sneaky peeky cause you're so freaky deeky.

The title track plays like a motivational video using gym slogans to drive the workout anthem. Synthpop keys with club pop drum machine. C Lei takes on some Beyonce energy exclaiming “To the left, to the left/to the right, to the right/to the ground to the ground now/get it up get it up for the crowd now”. The outro has some strong vocal layering like Gaga's first couple records. 'HAM' keeps the pump going, refusing to let up, going Hard As a Mother to push through the mid-session droop. The Peleton instructor is yelling to get up off that bike seat!

The band's more interesting work comes later on in the album when the on-the-nose workout themes are pushed aside and they lay into some good old 80s r&b funk that ruled the platinum hits of the King of Pop and the Purple One. On 'Up On Your Way', Lady Bass again steals the show snaking a slinky bass line throughout and laying down a psych up solo for the bridge. This track has the sizzle of a prime-era New York disco jam. 'Do My Dance' throws more jazz into the mix allowing the group to stretch out over a spicy New Orleans groove. These two tracks show the tight group at their finest. 'I'm Still Standing' wraps the album with a theme of resilience that bounces with a Wham!/Culture Club vibe.

'Push It' takes the place of the music you'd normally hear playing at your gym but with specific messages put there to motivate your workout. The group is tight and even though Lady Bass puts on a masterful workshop, her talent is still understated. She plays to every groove, gelling seamlessly with every song. The band is partnered with lifestyle brand YourDay Messengers, LLC and it can be painfully obvious at times. It's hard to take it in as a normal record. 'Up On Your Way' and 'Do My Dance' are by far the album's best cuts and hopefully, the band leans into that direction in the future.