Thundercat: Distracted

Photo by Neil Krug

Max Seltzer

Film / Culture

April 4, 2026

On Friday, Thundercat, known for hits like “Them Changes” and “Friend Zone,” dropped his fifth studio album, Distracted. On the longer side of his albums, clocking in at around 47 minutes, we are able to see Thundercat at his best, making melodic, catchy beats with premier bass playing to accompany them. With this being his first album in over six years, following his Grammy Award-winning progressive R&B album It Is What It Is, fans could not wait for Distracted to drop. The album had been in the works for over three years, with the first single, “No More Lies,” being released in 2023.

Distracted is produced by Thundercat and nine-time Grammy Award-winning producer Greg Kurstin. While he may not be a name many people are familiar with, you are definitely familiar with the artists he has produced top albums for. From PinkPantheress to Paul McCartney, Kurstin has been able to maximize star talent and potential, winning Grammys for his work with Adele, Foo Fighters, and Beck, and this album is no different.

One of the standouts of the album is the sheer amount of star power behind some of its best songs. Teaming up with Tame Impala, the late Mac Miller, Lil Yachty, and A$AP Rocky allows Thundercat to explore two complementary but thematically different styles. One is his funk-inspired progressive R&B on tracks like “What Is Left to Say” and “Candlelight,” along with more electronic and rock-based tracks like “She Knows Too Much,” “I Did This to Myself,” and “Funny Friends.”

Distracted is a very front-heavy album with many merits. However, after the halfway mark, it feels like Thundercat lost the creative synergy he had in the earlier, feature-heavy portion of the album. For all intents and purposes, Thundercat is an excellent bassist and a critically acclaimed musician. However, it feels like instead of experimenting throughout the entire album, he goes for the safer play. The same rhythmic bass line, the same slow, melodic electronic beats, and honestly the same repetitive lyricism that we often overlook when discussing much of Thundercat’s discography.

Overall, I think this is one of Thundercat’s better works and a solid R&B album. It does what it is trying to do, which is be pure, unrestrained Thundercat. What I mean by that is he has a style, method, and themes in his songs that work, and while I wish the same energy was kept throughout the whole runtime, I can recognize that despite that, the themes and beats kept me hooked with no skips the entire time. I’d recommend streaming Distracted wherever you get your music.

Rating: 4/5

Writer: Max Seltzer 

Editor: Jade Read