Live Review: Thundercat teams up with Steve Lacy and Steve Arrington for new single, announces new album

Funk/RnB extraordinaire Thundercat is back in a big way in 2020. Not only has he shared a brand new single featuring none other than Steve Lacy and funk icon Slave's Steve Arrington titled 'Black Qualls', he's also confirmed a whole new album is on the way and is due for release April 3rd.

Featuring an absolutely stacked tracklist, Thundercat's forthcoming record titled It Is What It Is is produced by the man himself alongside Flying Lotus, and will include musical contributions from the likes of Ty Dolla $ign, Childish Gambino, Lil B, Kamasi Washington, BADBADNOTGOOD, Louis Cole and Zack Fox. Thundercat said of his fourth record, “This album is about love, loss, life and the ups and downs that come with that."

“It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but at different points in life you come across places that you don’t necessarily understand… some things just aren’t meant to be understood.”

'Black Qualls' is Thundercat at his finest, shining a light both on the new guard in Lacy as well as paying tribute to those who have come before him with Arrington's contribution. A hugely impactful artist on him, Thundercat said on what it was about Arrington that inspired him so much, saying, "“The tone of the bass, the way his stuff feels and moves, it resonated through my whole body.”

It Is What It Is is out April 3rd via Brainfeeder/Inertia. Pre-order here.

Words by Emma Jones

Image: Parker Day via Inertia.