On Friday, April 3, renowned musician and bassist Thundercat released his fifth solo album titled “Distracted.” This is his first album since 2020’s “It Is What It Is,” which won Best Progressive R&B Album at the Grammys that year. Even with six years between albums, he remained very busy racking up credits on projects by Silk Sonic, Gorillaz, and Kendrick Lamar, and producing the posthumous Mac Miller album “Balloonerism” last year.
Diving into the album we start with the airy opener “Candlelight,” which sets the tone of the album. Thundercat is always going to knock it out of the park with the basslines, and this is no exception.
The second track marks the beginning of a great three-track run. First is “No More Lies” with Tame Impala. The lead single to this album was actually released almost three years ago. Yes, the second track on this 2026 album was released in April 2023. If it wasn’t a great song, I’d raise some questions, but “No More Lies” is fabulous. The song showcases two of the greatest minds in music right now collaborating with spectacular chemistry.
Next up is “She Knows Way Too Much” with a posthumous feature from the late Mac Miller. Miller and Thundercat were colleagues and collaborators, and the feature is very tasteful. It’s such a groovy track with some excellent saxophone pieces.
“She Knows Way Too Much” flows right into “I Did This to Myself” with Lil Yachty and produced by Flying Lotus. It’s an absolute highlight on the track list, with a killer baseline, playful adlibs that add so much character to the song and a great feature from Lil Yachty.
The first dud on the album is “Funny Friends” with A$AP Rocky; this track just lacks the punch of the last three. The chorus is repetitive along with a short and forgettable verse from Rocky.
Next up is “What Is Left To Say” with a hidden feature from The Lemon Twigs; a sweet track that could fit right in on the next Lemon Twigs album slated to release in May. The chorus is so Lemon Twigs that if they were not on the track, it’d feel like plagiarism.
The next few tracks “I Wish I Didn’t Waste Your Time,” “Anakin Learns His Fate” and “Walking on the Moon” are like the opening track: funky baselines, good grooves and breezy. They are nothing mind-blowing but provide a smooth and pleasant listening experience — dare I say great studying music.
Two more feature tracks follow with “This Thing We Call Love” featuring Channel Tres and “ThunderWave” featuring Willow. The former is a more danceable funky track, with heavier drums that provide a very nice contrast at this point in the track list. Then, “ThunderWave” is a pretty duet with Willow, with sounds of running water spliced into parts of the track. The track is a highlight with a great synth passage, and the two sound nice together.
“Pozole” brings back The Lemon Twigs. This song is not nearly as good as their other collaboration, feeling less like a collaboration and more of a Thundercat cover of a Lemon Twigs song.
The last three tracks end the album with more of what we’ve been getting on the album. They don’t have much punch, they’re just chill tracks that go in one ear and out the other. In “Great Americans” we do get Thundercat meowing, which shockingly does not make me want to revisit the song. “Great Americans” is the worst track on the album.
“Distracted” is at its best when Thundercat is collaborating with another artist, with the exception of A$AP Rocky. The first half has some great songs, but the weaker second half drags it down.
Rating: 2.5/5