Thundercat announces new LP, shares song ft. Steve Lacy & Steve Arrington
Thundercat recently announced a lengthy tour, and if you thought that meant he’d be releasing a new album this year, you thought right. He has now announced It Is What It Is, due April 3 via Brainfeeder. Thundercat executive produced it with Brainfeeder boss Flying Lotus, and FlyLo features on it, as do Ty Dolla $ign, Childish Gambino, Lil B, Kamasi Washington, Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, BADBADNOTGOOD, Louis Cole, and Zack Fox.
Lead single “Black Qualls” features rapidly-rising artist (and Internet member) Steve Lacy and funk veteran (and Slave member) Steve Arrington. Arrington was a key influence on G-Funk (along with Parliament-Funkadelic, Ohio Players, and others), thanks in part to artists like Snoop Dogg and NWA sampling his work, and he’s been having a resurgence since his collaborations with Dam-Funk a few years back. You can definitely hear those proto-G-Funk vibes on the psychedelic bounce of “Black Qualls,” a song that finds Thundercat, Lacy, and Arrington all really gelling together (and a song that would appeal to Parliament-Funkadelic fans too). Thundercat calls Lacy “the physical incarnate of the Ohio Players in one person – he genuinely is a funky ass dude,” and of Steve Arrington — who he’s been a fan of since his teens — he says, “The tone of the bass, the way his stuff feels and moves, it resonated through my whole body.” Listen to the new song below.
As mentioned, Thundercat’s tour hits NYC on March 24 (sold out) and March 25 at Webster Hall (tickets). All dates are listed below.
Tracklist
1. Lost In Space / Great Scott / 22-26
2. Innerstellar Love
3. I Love Louis Cole (feat. Louis Cole)
4. Black Qualls (feat. Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, & Childish Gambino)
5. Miguel’s Happy Dance
6. How Sway
7. Funny Thing
8. Overseas (feat. Zack Fox)
9. Dragonball Durag
10. How I Feel
11. King Of The Hill
12. Unrequited Love
13. Fair Chance (feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Lil B)
14. Existential Dread
15. It Is What It Is
Thundercat — 2020 Tour Dates
NORTH AMERICAN DATES
2/28 Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
2/29 Portland, OR – PDX Jazz Festival
3/02 Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
3/03 Arcata, CA – Van Duzer Theatre
3/04 Chico, CA – Senator Theatre
3/06 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
3/07 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
3/08 Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory North Park
3/10 Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
3/12 Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
3/13 Omaha, NE – Slowdown
3/14 Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore
3/15 Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
3/17 Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
3/18 Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
3/19 Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre
3/21 Boston, MA – House of Blues
3/22 Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
3/24 New York, NY – Webster Hall
3/25 New York, NY – Webster Hall
3/28 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
3/29 Knoxville, TN – Big Ears Festival
3/31 Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
4/01 Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
4/02 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
EUROPE/UK DATES
09/04 London, UK – Roundhouse
11/04 Manchester, UK – Academy
14/04 Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
15/04 Paris, FR – Elysée Montmartre
17/04 Berlin, DE – Astra
