THUNDERCAT: I’m not scared of a fucking virus. Are you a little nervous about the virus? VEITCH: Tell me about these bear traps of yours. THUNDERCAT: I’m spraying Lysol between my toes and listening to Jay Electronica’s new album. From his favorite of the Sonic The Hedgehog soundtracks to dating his cats, from his Katy Perry theory to digestive health, the contemporary music world’s resident ultra-nerd invites us on a psychedelic joyride through his mind. When we sat down with Thundercat to discuss his musical influences, we expected a long list of niche jazz artists, but it turns out that Thundercat draws inspiration from more unexpected sources. “Dragonball Durag,” a cheery, tongue-in-cheek bop, pokes fun at the classic macho sexual conquest saga: “You don’t have to like my video games or my comic books, but baby girl, how do I look in my durag?” On “Overseas,” he implores a love interest to join the mile-high club before comedian Zack Fox interrupts with a pilot-style voice-over announcement. “It Is What It Is,” the album’s meandering epilogue, bristles with shards of feeling: a rueful reflection on the inevitable wilting of fame morphs into bruised instrumentals punctuated just once by the words “hey Mac.” A rush of stormy drums builds to a fever-pitch before the album drifts to a close.ĭespite its grounding in grief, It Is What It Is is laced with Thundercat’s signature bounce and irreverence. Tracks like “Unrequited Love” and “Fair Chance” layer searching lyrics over spare, meditative bass tracks.
THUNDERCATS INTRO SONG LYRICS MAC
But It Is What It Is, recorded in the wake of his friend Mac Miller’s death, is streaked with something darker and moodier than anime heartbreak. The playful, sensationalistic influence of anime and video games is present in both, as is a persistent emo streak-the drama-filled line “Nobody move/ There’s blood on the floor/ And I can’t find my heart” from his 2017 track “Them Changes” is the lyrical equivalent of the chipped purple nail polish he sports these days. Thundercat’s look is as kaleidoscopic as his music. Last week, Thundercat released It Is What It Is, his fourth studio album featuring contributions by Ty Dolla $ign, Childish Gambino, Steve Lacy (The Internet), and BADBADNOTGOOD. Paak and Mac Miller, and he was a major contributor on Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-nominated album To Pimp A Butterfly.
Thundercat’s oeuvre is as innovative as his pandemic preparedness kit: His relentless hooks and deceptively sugary vocals have appeared on albums by Janelle Monáe, Anderson.
I got some bear traps,” says the oddball bassist whose love of cats and gaming makes him uniquely adaptable to the current state of affairs. How does Thundercat cope with a global shutdown? “I got rubber gloves.