Thundercat Embraces the Noise on ‘Distracted’ and Returns to Alberta at Calgary Folk Festival 2026
Photo credit: Chloe Hashemi
There’s few names in the industry that need no introductions. Stephen Bruner — better known as Thundercat — is one of them. Six years out from his last release, Thundercat’s return with his new album Distracted comes at a moment when both his artistry and his life seem to be defined by intensity, humour and resigned clarity about the chaos of the world. Speaking ahead of his headlining appearance at Calgary Folk Music Festival reflected this new chapter in his trajectory.
Named one of the most influential bassists of all time by the Rolling Stones, Bruner’s reputation with the instrument precedes him. “I naturally gravitated to it … growing up with a bunch of drummers in the house”, he says laughingly.”Of course, I would be playing bass in a house full of drummers.”
For an artist whose music often ricochets between jazz fusion, funk and R&B, Distraction is a wink at his own restless creative instincts. But beneath the album's glossy grooves and virtuosic bass playing lies a surprisingly pointed meditation on what it means to live in an age of constant interruption.
“Life has a funny way of informing the music that I make,” he says. “It just kind of feels like that’s kind of like the normal now, like the level of dysfunction that we experience as a society is pretty normal.”
Much of the record examines a world in which attention has become a scarce resource. Relationships unfolding through screens, anxieties multiplying through endless streams of information and genuine connection competes with an endless barrage of digital noise. Thundercat’s approaching these subjects less as a social critic than as a participant — someone caught in the same cycle of overstimulation as everyone else.
“The name kind of stood out to me,” as Bruner jokes about his brain being occupied with Playstation. “I always feel like the truth for me is somewhere between the joke of things…even though nothing’s funny, it’s also the same reason why it is.”
Photo credit: Neil Krug
That perspective gives Distracted its emotional core. The album captures the quieter consequences of a fragmented culture: loneliness, uncertainty and the nagging feeling that meaningful experiences are slipping away while we look elsewhere. Songs such as "I Wish I Didn't Waste Your Time" and "I Did This To Myself" frame distraction not merely as an external force, but as a personal failing and a source of regret. Musically, the album mirrors those themes. Tracks frequently shift direction without warning, moving between lush harmonies, warped funk and moments of introspective calm.
“I'm probably getting socked in the face by my trainer,” says Thundercat when asked about getting into boxing. If his musical foundations are grounded in jazz and groove, his current offstage fixation is far more physical: boxing. Yet, contrary to the romantic idea that every passion bleeds directly into the music, Thundercat draws a hard line between the ring and the studio.
“I feel like they’re completely different. Getting punched in the face is definitely different than playing the bass,” he says. “This moment in life lended itself to me taking the time to try to find something [new]. You know, I think that it just showed itself as the at the right time.”
Eight years out from his last appearance at the Calgary Folk Music Festival, Thundercat is ready to take the stage again this month. Onstage, Calgary will see Thundercat bringing this blend of humor, emotional weight and musical agility to Folk Fest. He rejects rigid genre boundaries, confident his sound belongs wherever people are willing to listen.
“If you like my music, you like my music. And I think that my music can fit anywhere you put it.”
At 15 tracks, Distracted occasionally wanders, but its strongest moments remind listeners why Thundercat remains one of contemporary music’s most distinctive voices. The album may be about losing focus, yet it showcases an artist with a remarkably clear vision.
Catch Thundercat live on July 24 at the Main Stage of Calgary Folk Music Festival. Find tickets here.