Stephen Lee Bruner AKA: Thundercat, will release It Is What It Is on April 3, via Brainfeeder. Today the artist has shared the first track: “Black Qualls” (featuring Steve Lacy and Steve Arrington). The album, produced by Flying Lotus and Thundercat, features musical contributions from Ty Dolla $ign, Childish Gambino, Lil B, Kamasi Washington, Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, BADBADNOTGOOD, Louis Cole, and Zack Fox.

It Is What It Is follows Thundercat’s previous release Drunk (2017). That record completed his transition from virtuoso bassist to bonafide star and cemented his reputation as a unique voice that transcends genre. “This album is about love, loss, life and the ups and downs that come with that,” Bruner says. “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 described as classic Thundercat, teaming up with Steve Lacy (The Internet) and funk icon Steve Arrington (Slave). It’s another example of Stephen Lee Bruner’s desire to highlight the lineage of his music and pay his respects to the musicians who inspired him. Discovering Arrington’s output in his late teens, Bruner says he fell in love with his music immediately: “The tone of the bass, the way his stuff feels and moves, it resonated through my whole body.”

“Black Qualls” emerged from writing sessions with Lacy, whom Thundercat describes as “the physical incarnate of the Ohio Players in one person – he genuinely is a funky ass dude”. It references what it means to be a black American with a young mindset: “What it feels like to be in this position right now… the weird ins and outs, we’re talking about those feelings… Part of me knew this [track] was where Steve [Arrington] left us.”

Thundercat
It Is What It Is
Track Listing

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
Tour 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
3/28 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
3/29 Knoxville, TN – Big Ears Festival
3/31 Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
4/1 Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
4/2 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
4/9 London, UK – Roundhouse
4/11 Manchester, UK – Academy
4/14 Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
4/15 Paris, FR – Elysée Montmartre
4/17 Berlin, DE – Astra