Alex Thompson reviews the latest album from Thundercat, a breathtaking fusion of genre, styles and tones
Accompanied with a fanfare of brass keys and slinking jazz-fusion basslines, Thundercat presents a darker, more melancholy side to his signature aesthetic on It Is What It Is, tackling love, addiction and the death of his close friend Mac Miller.
While these ideas were all present on previous albums such as 2017’s Drunk, they lurked below the surface and provided a moody counterpoint to the more uptempo jazz and hip hop influenced beats. On It Is What It Is, this darker side is placed front and centre, with a slightly tweaked sound to amplify it.
From the reverb soaked vocals crying out ‘Hey Mac’ on the spacey outro to the title track to the more overt references present in ‘Fair Chance’, where collaborator Ty Dolla $ign lifts lyrics from Miller’s ‘Hurt Feelings’, it’s hard to miss the impact the rapper’s death has had on Thundercat. Nowhere is this grief more apparent than on the 52 second, depressingly titled ‘Existential Dread’ which sounds like a track name from his days playing in Suicidal Tendencies.
Be under no illusions though, this is still a record full of life. From the soaring Kamasi Washington sax solo on ‘Interstellar Love’ to a goofy cameo from comedian and close friend Zac Fox, there are moments of vibrance and humour that make the album feel rounded and balanced. This tongue-in-cheek humour reaches a hilarious climax on ‘Dragonball Durag’ where the singer laments how he might be “covered in cat hair” but he “still smells good” and how he’s going to “keep on all his chains when [he] makes love to you.”
The bass, as always, is delicious. Bass lines are, after all, the most defining feature of a Thundercat project. They pop and thud, synth-esque tones shrouding delicate and intricate bass lines that make every bass player think - fuck me, I need to up my game. It’s percussive and melodic simultaneously, blisteringly fast at times and full of soul. At times it sounds like the soundtrack to some sort of 80s arcade game. It’s astonishing. This is only amplified by the maximalist production and electronic sensibilities of Flying Lotus, who effortlessly blends slick bass lines with gorgeous vocals and a tight and driving drum section.
‘Black Qualls’, is the stand out track on the album, a Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington and Childish gambino collaboration that feels equal parts jazz, pop, hip-hop and disco. It’s like the soundtrack to a future Blaxploitation film and is a strong contender for one of my songs of the year so far.
This is an album of excess but also a surprising exercise in restraint. The production, instrumentals and songwriting is so dense and beautifully chaotic yet none of the songs really stray over the three minute mark. While there is definitely some flab in the back end of the project, it’s a pretty tight and cohesive album that’s constant deviations and evolutions mean the listener is very rarely bored.
It Is What It Is is a breathtaking exercise in fusing genres, styles and tones to create an album bustling with life and humour whilst also being the musician’s bleakest work to date. It kicks and slaps like a hip hop album, has the bounce and slick stylings of a futuristic George Clinton and enough pop charm and polish to make it endlessly re-listenable. While it may lack focus and be a little too dense at times, you cannot fault Thundercat for his ambition nor his polymath talent.
7/10
Alex Thompson
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