Thundercat Releases Sophomore Album, “Apocalypse”
Thundercat, aka bassist Stephen Bruner, has returned with his second full-length album, Apocalypse. Continuing Bruner’s unique hip hop meets jazz meets indie rock style, the effort centers on the cycle of life and all its ups and downs. The topic has been heavy on the bassist’s mind since the passing of his close friend and fellow musician, Austin Peralta, who died late last year. Much of the album’s emotions come from the tragedy.
“It pains me to listen to this album straight through because there’s so much that went behind it,” Bruner told LA Weekly. “I don’t know, I couldn’t make up for it. One of my closest friends died, and I was with him within a couple hours of him dying. It freaked me out. It genuinely freaked me out.”
While the tracks “A Message for Austin / Praise the Lord / Enter the Void” and “Heartbreaks + Setbacks” get into a deep realm, Thundercat certainly also sees the light with bouncy cuts like “Oh Sheit, it’s X” and “Special Stage.” Flying Lotus, who co-produced the album, created the spacey “Seven” with Bruner from a spontaneous jam session.
Apocalypse is out now on CD, vinyl and digital formats (iTunes and Amazon MP3).
Apocalypse Track List:
- Tenfold
- Heartbreaks + Setbacks
- The Life Aquatic
- Special Stage
- Tron Song
- Seven
- Oh Sheit It’s X
- Without You
- Lotus and the Jondy
- Evangelion
- We’ll Die
- A Message for Austin / Praise the Lord / Enter the Void
