It’s been six years since Thundercat’s last album, but Stephen Lee Bruner, the real name of the bassist, producer and singer from California, has of course been anything but idle. Tracks with Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz, Justice and Asap Rocky, and appearances in and with the children’s show “Yo Gabba Gabba!” or the Star Wars series “The Book of Boba Fett,” for example. The long-time bassist of Suicidal Tendencies has always been busy.
And this busyness also ensures an impressive guest list on his album DISTRACTED: Asap Rocky, of course, but also Channel Tres, Lil Yachty, Tame Impala, Flying Lotus, Beck (but only as a musician), Will Smith’s daughter Willow and, particularly touchingly, Bruner’s long-time good friend Mac Miller, who died of an overdose in 2018.
As diverse as the guests are, Thundercat remains consistently true to its desire for rich soundscapes that bring together jazz and Beach Boys-like harmonies that are reminiscent of sixties bands like the Jackson Five and are then completely caught up in the spirit of the times. The world is overwhelming, no wonder we all feel constantly distracted, Thundercat seems to want to tell us musically. The fundamentally relaxed DISTRACTED wraps us in soft cotton wool; everything is still in order here. At least for the next fifteen tracks.
This review appears in Musikexpress 4/2026.
