THUNDERCAT - Distracted - LP - Clear/Black Marbled “Smoke Effect” Vinyl [APR 3]

LP - Clear/Black Marbled “Smoke Effect” Vinyl with Printed Inner Sleeve & Poster Insert. Artwork and photography by Neil Krug.

Six years to the date of his last LP, Thundercat will release his fifth studio album, Distracted, coming out April 3rd via Brainfeeder. The new album features contributions from A$AP Rocky, WILLOW, Tame Impala, Channel Tres, Lil Yachty and a previously unreleased collaboration with the dearly departed Mac Miller. Distracted was primarily created in close collaboration with a new creative partner for Thundercat - the superproducer Greg Kurstin, known for his work with some of the biggest names in pop like Adele, Paul McCartney, Sia, Beyoncé, Beck and more - with additional production turns on the record from Flying Lotus, Kenny Beats (Kenneth Blume), and The Lemon Twigs.

“Hey, what are you doing tonight?” so opens the groovy “I Did This To Myself (feat. Lil Yachty)”; it’s a question that falls on the deaf ears of a very busy baddie. She likes crystals, has “a big ‘ole ass,” posts a lot on the ‘Gram, and has absolutely no time for either Thunder or Yachty despite their pleas and protests to treat them better. As much as they’d like things to be different, both artists are well aware that they’ve placed themselves in this predicament.

These types of awkward, digitally-influenced situations, typical of 21st century socialisation, lie at the heart of Distracted. Falling somewhere between Drunk’s frenzied look at modern life and It Is What It Is’s solemn heartbreak, Distracted is Thundercat finding a comfortable space for himself in the current era. Rather than condemn the current moment, the album sifts through it, addressing the ways distraction can be both a hindrance and a form of healing. 

Distracted vividly captures the tension between overstimulation and introspection. Thundercat is deeply skeptical of technological “progress,” especially the way it’s narrowed our collective imagination instead of expanding it. He jokes about Star Trek and childhood dreams of space travel, then pivots to the anticlimax of reality: drones without lasers, phones that only upgrade cameras, innovation reduced to spying and access. The disappointment isn’t just about gadgets; it’s about what we were promised versus what we got.

The drawbacks of distraction are evident in today’s attention (deficit) economy, but a true idiosyncratic like Thundercat can identify the ways in which it can be used to one’s advantage. You can’t spell ‘daydreams’ without ‘dreams,’ after all.

“Sometimes you need to be distracted to focus in a different way,” Thundercat declares.

Distracted illustrates that, clearly, plenty of other artistically-minded folks feel the same way as Thundercat. WILLOW floats alongside him on “ThunderWave,” while Channel Tres keeps up the pace with the upbeat bass on “This Thing We Call Love.” A$AP Rocky, who also recently invited Thunder to his Saturday Night Live performance, lends his starpower to the grandiose “Funny Friends.” Things are getting bigger for Thundercat, and that’s evident behind the scenes on Distracted, too. The artwork for the record was handled by Grammy-nominated photographer Neil Krug (Lana Del Rey, Tame Impala, Djo). 

What he ultimately wants listeners to take from Distracted is disarmingly simple: “Just enjoy it and have fun and just know that the struggle is real and changes shape, but just to keep pushing forward.” In an era that demands constant commentary, Thundercat offers something quieter and, in its own way, more radical. He gives permission to be confused. To be tired. To be, well, distracted — and still make something beautiful out of the noise.

In the years since his last album, much has happened for Thundercat. For one thing, that album’s title, It Is What It Is, became something of a catchphrase for the world when it came to a halt for 2020. That same album took home Best Progressive R&B Album at the 63rd Grammys. As his star has risen, so has Thundercat’s resume. During these years, collaborations with A$AP Rocky, Tame Impala, Gorillaz, Silk Sonic, Kaytranada, and Justice maintained his presence in the music realm, while the bassist has also branched out into acting with roles in Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett. Continuing his foray into the realm of television, the bassist joined Yo Gabba Gabba for a special performance at NPR’s Tiny Desk and appeared as a featured musical guest on the rebooted Yo Gabba Gabbaland for Apple TV+. 

He’s stuck in your head, he’s playing in Gap ads, he’s onstage with A$AP Rocky and Spinal Tap — Thundercat’s warm, playful presence is never too far away, and life’s all the more enlivened by it. 

Distracted comes out on April 3rd via Brainfeeder Records.

The lead single from Distracted is called “I Did This To Myself ft. Lil Yachty,” with additional production from longtime friend and collaborator Flying Lotus.

Tracklist: 

1. Candlelight
2. No More Lies (feat. Tame Impala)
3. She Knows Too Much (feat. Mac Miller)
4. I Did This To Myself (feat. Lil Yachty)
5. Funny Friends (feat. A$AP Rocky)
6. What Is Left To Say
7. I Wish I Didn’t Waste Your Time
8. Anakin Learns His Fate
9. Walking On The Moon
10. This Thing We Call Love (feat. Channel Tres)
11. ThunderWave (feat. WILLOW)
12. Pozole
13. A.D.D. Through The Roof
14. Great Americans
15. You Left Without Saying Goodbye