Fifteen tracks, six features, and an endless array of ways you could listen to Thundercat's newest album, Distracted. Lying upside down on the couch with your hair dangling down to the floor? Taking alternate sips of sparkling water and coffee while walking to the bus stop on a brisk Tuesday morning? Sitting on the tattered benches of the grimiest jazz bar you've ever been to, picking at the foam spilling out from a hole in the leather from a cigarette burn while you try to figure out for the thousandth time just how many layers of vocals the absolute legend Stephen Lee Bruner was able to squeeze into a single chorus? It has to be more than three at any given time, right? What they say is true, he never misses.
In a frenzy of synths, "Candlelight" sets a flavorful tone for the journey ahead with its melodic vocals and instrumentation—until it spreads out into something a little more wild. Anything that Thundercat creates will have some degree of unpredictability along with the core elements, and this could be his version of a song for a candlelight dinner that cascades into a wild romp in the nighttime streets of Los Angeles.
"No More Lies" starts with the classic frenzy of Bruner's bass, but then Tame Impala slides in, sounding completely at home in an entirely different context than his own projects. Anyone who is a fan of either artist individually will surely fall in love with them together. Even if you've already heard this song after its release in 2023, holding it in the context of Distracted, sitting purposefully between two other songs, puts it in a whole new universe. It's sort of like seeing an artist play their hometown show after you've only ever seen them on tour.
Though it was also previously released as a single, the collaboration with Mac Miller "She Knows Too Much" remains a highlight of the project. The effortless energy match of two extremely distinctive musicians is nuclear on this track, and what a treat it is to hear Mac Miller's voice again, both literally in tone and metaphorically in his relentless witty delivery.
"I Did This To Myself" is a perfect follow, with a similar upbeat energy. It starts with Thundercat's unconventionally rich harmonies accented by ad-libs from Lil Yachty, until we reach his full verse, which adds a playfulness that goes hand-in-hand with the lively instrumentation.
To round out the first set of features, "Funny Friends" with A$AP Rocky overflows with sound from start to finish. It feels like a wholesome switch-up from the previous energy; a little more relaxed, a little more earnest, and still giving the same type of deep, deep, feeling that wraps around your soul when you hear a song that you just know was made with love.
Guiding us into the next section of Distracted, "What Is Left To Say" rocks us with a comforting swing. It's smooth and timeless, the kind of unassuming lost-love song that could be played during the holiday season. "I Wish I Didn't Waste Your Time" follows with a similarly nostalgic aura, but a little more upbeat and with a little more production. The two songs pair together thematically, and one follows the other with a progressive ease, building back up to the elemental standard of this album, the full-ness that Thundercat is expert in.
"Anakin Learns His Fate" spends the first two minutes climbing up and down in in sharp electronic tones, accentuated by a spot-on vocal melody until ultimately melting into silence. Another interstellar track follows, drifting back into ease with "Walking on the Moon." The track defies gravity with swirling synth chords coming from every which direction, adding to the romance of "your love is like outer space".
Drifting into a different gravitational pull, "This Thing We Call Love" picks up the pace with the alluring, laid back vocals of Channel Tres over an atmospheric beat. This track is a highlight of the album, fading out into Thundercat's whoa's, proving that there's truly nothing he can't add to or layer on-top-of to make it sound even more tastefully abundant.
The final feature on Distracted comes from none other than WILLOW on "ThunderWave." She contributes an entirely different flavor to the collection of voices, with airy harmonies that blend right into the ethereal instrumentals accented by sounds of sloshing water and another wild frenzy of keys.
"Pozole" follows, a vocally focused track that also leans to the softer side with a lilting piano melody that will nearly get you to forget all of the excitement from the first half of the album. This song has the absolute minimum amount of bass for a Thundercat track, which maintains a somber tone before stepping it back up a little with "A.D.D. Through the Roof," which floats in like a moth flapping in irregular circles around a lamp.
The penultimate installment, "Great Americans," is a lyrical puzzle complete with ad-libs such as "meow" (and others) placed over strange, distorted instrumentals. The percussion sounds are the icing, with simple clicks and blips set with reverberated drums in an unexpectedly functional combination. The Thundercat classic of an unresolved ending leaves listeners on edge as they topple into into the fifteenth and final track.
"You Left Without Saying Goodbye" is a bittersweet spiral staircase down from the rich world of discord we've been swept into. It's equal parts ethereal and thought-provoking, especially once you start listening to the lyrics. The final line on the entire album? It's, "maybe I should start an Onlyfans and show some feet".
Chances are, this isn't your first time hearing him, and it most definitely won't be your last. An artist that transcends generations with his combination of personal taste and technical ability, Thundercat continually paves the way for creatives, both emerging and experienced.
Distracted is more than just another installment in his legacy as an artist; it's a pillar of alliance and love, new and old. If he went through every possible artist with a fine-toothed comb when choosing his collaborators for this album, it was worth it. Each artist he chose has a distinct way of bouncing off all of his strengths, without hiding underneath him. The songs with features feel like a true collaboration, and his solo songs sit alone with purpose.
So if you've got some headphones and an hour of time to really listen, you won't regret spending the time to get to know this one. Distracted is available on all platforms April 3, 2026.
Photo: Neil Krug
