Thundercat The Virtuoso Bassist Is Still In The Thick Of It
On his previous album, 2020’s It Is What It Is, Thundercat contemplated grief over dense jazz-funk grooves, inspired by the loss of his close friend and collaborator Mac Miller. Six years later, the virtuoso bassist and bandleader is still in the thick of it.
On Distracted, Thundercat captures the addled feeling of contemporary overstimulation and repurposes it for creative fuel. “Wake up, burnt out/Start the day in flames,” he sings on “Great Americans,” overthinking texts and conversing with his cats. Despite some swooning (“ThunderWave,” a deep-sea soul epic with WILLOW, or the space-funk love song “Walking on the Moon”), relationships are preludes to heartache and confusion on “No More Lies,” a Tame Impala collab for damaged drifters, and “What Is Left to Say,” a bit of yacht rock existentialism with production from The Lemon Twigs.
Nevertheless, Thundercat’s trademark dark humor prevails, as he ends “You Left Without Saying Goodbye” by considering a new side hustle (selling foot pics on OnlyFans). Additional guests include Flying Lotus, Lil Yachty, A$AP Rocky, and a previously unheard collaboration with Mac Miller.
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