“ThunderWave” serves as Thundercat’s new single featuring WILLOW, the latest preview of his upcoming LP, Distracted(Brainfeeder) out on April 3rd. “ThunderWave (feat. WILLOW)” follows previously released singles “She Knows Too Much (Feat. Mac Miller)”, ”I Did This To Myself (Feat. Lil Yachty & Flying Lotus)” and “I Wish I Didn’t Waste Your Time.”
A slice of quiet storm, “ThunderWave” is an exercise in trust between Thundercat and WILLOW. Their harmonies intertwine beautifully, buoyed by Greg Kurstin’s ambient production, which includes the sound of waves gently lapping upon the shore. The whole scene plays out as if under moonlight, the synths and keys shimmering like its rays refracted off the unstill waters.
Thundercat shared some thoughts about creating the track: Willow, the weeping, the whimsy, the whispy, the wizard. Grateful for the opportunity to create and spend time with such a beautiful human. Our journey together has been quite a fun one. Creating this song together, felt very much like the real us. So happy to be able to share.
As part of that journey, both Thundercat and WILLOW performed the song live for Amazon Music:
Listen to “ThunderWave (feat. WILLOW)” HERE
If all that sounds epic, it’s to match Thundercat’s ever-growing prominence in pop culture. Within the last few months, he’s sitting at Rick Owens for Paris Fashion week, he’s appearing on Trackstar and Colbert, and ASAP Rocky is inviting him along to perform on Saturday Night Live. The bigger he becomes, the bigger the songs, the fame, and the worries grow, too. Thundercat wears all of that on his sleeve, and he shares it to listeners with agile wrists and genuine love of the sport.
Six years to the day of Thunder’s monumental It Is What It Is, Distracted has already got folks excited for his grand return. “I Did This To Myself” drew praise from many outlets including Under the Radar, Vibe, Okayplayer, and Vice, who called the single “one of the most relatable records in years, deliriously groovy and hilariously cynical about the state of romance.” These cheeky yet insightful observations exemplify Thundercat’s songwriting and artistry, works that elicit laughs as much as they tickle the psyche.
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.
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+.
Distracted comes out on April 3rd via Brainfeeder Records.
THUNDERCAT ONLINE
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source bassmagazine.com ’
