The busy-headed bassist, producer, songwriter and Los Angeles native Stephen Bruner, known mononymously as Thundercat, reentered the music scene Friday with his album “Distracted.”
Following his 2020 record “It Is What It Is,” “Distracted” delivers his classic acoustic creativity and enigmatic swagger without missing a single beat in the chaotic 15-track record.
A highlight of “Distracted” is “She Knows Too Much,” an upbeat and previously unreleased ballad led by Mac Miller. Thundercat takes the backseat for his late friend’s archival vocals, letting Miller carry his characteristic flow and foxlike lyrical flair while offering occasional interjections of funk influence. This track refrains of the woe of being misunderstood by someone you love, and is as much Bruner’s personal tribute to Miller as it is a display of his consummate skill as a bassist.
Thundercat has nothing to prove. He is omnipresent in the modern music industry as a solo artist, producer and collaborator. His fingerprints can be found from SZA to Joji to Kendrick Lamar. He’s one of the best in the game and he knows it. This is made evident in the track “What Is Left To Say,” a collaboration with The Lemon Twigs.
The seamless production meshes flawlessly with a solid performance from The Lemon Twigs, a seemingly unrelated rock group whose members Brian and Michael D’Addario helped produce the album.
“Distracted” features more collaborations with Tame Impala, A$AP Rocky, Flying Lotus, Channel Tres, WILLOW and Lil Yachty. Thundercat demonstrates here that he is able to adapt to any sonic condition thrown at him.
“A.D.D. Through the Roof” is one of the stronger tracks off this record that can go unnoticed. The track follows a playful musical pattern while coyly, albeit genuinely, speaking about dealing with the chaos of day-to-day life and surviving expectations of normalcy in the process.
“Anakin Learns His Fate” is another standout, telling the story of a breakup through the frame of the mythos of “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” and the creation of Darth Vader. The track explores the internal conflict of an ex-partner unjustly framing him as a villain. He sings, “This mask is just for you / Don’t tell me that you have the high ground.” His droll tone takes control of his narrative in the wake of an avoidable tragedy.
Thundercat’s true genre acrobaticism feels somewhat unexplored on this record. His musical chops include his start with the thrash band Suicidal Tendencies, frequent collaborations with his childhood friend and astral jazz wizard Kamasi Washington and a feature from jazz legend Herbie Hancock on his EP, “The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam.”
For any other artist, this new record would be a genre-bending triumph. For Thundercat, the record’s consistency is uncharacteristic, almost to the point of predictability. “Disturbed” does not feel lacking by any means, but the scarcity of guidance from Kamasi’s tenor sax is tangible.
Thundercat’s ease in this record could never be mistaken for laziness. Instead, his skill bolsters his natural musical gift. Ultimately, Thundercat feels more personable through this record while still cultivating his image of a funk virtuoso meshed with a seasoned panelist at an anime convention.