Drunk (album)

Drunk is the third studio album by American musician Thundercat,[1] released on February 24, 2017, by Brainfeeder.[2] It features guest appearances from Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, and Pharrell.[3] It was released nearly four years after his previous studio album, Apocalypse.

Drunk
Studio album by
Thundercat
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2017 (2017-02-24)
Recorded2015–2016
Genre
Length51:24
LabelBrainfeeder
Producer
Thundercat chronology
The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam
(2015)		 Drunk
(2017)		 It Is What It Is
(2020)
Singles from Drunk
  1. "Them Changes"
    Released: June 18, 2015 (2015-06-18)
  2. "Bus in These Streets"
    Released: August 24, 2016 (2016-08-24)
  3. "Show You the Way"
    Released: January 25, 2017 (2017-01-25)
  4. "Friend Zone"
    Released: February 15, 2017 (2017-02-15)
  5. "Walk on By"
    Released: February 22, 2017 (2017-02-22)

Drunk incorporates a range of stylistic influences, including funk, hip hop, jazz, pop, psychedelia, punk rock, R&B, soft rock, and soul.[4] The album received positive reviews from music critics.[5] A ChopNotSlop remix from OG Ron C, DJ Candlestick, & the Chopstars entitled Drank was released as a special edition purple vinyl record.

Songs

Overview

Drunk has been described as incorporating the stylistic influences of funk, hip hop, jazz, pop, psychedelia, punk rock, R&B, soft rock, and soul.[4] Multiple reviewers noted jazz fusion influences in the album,[6][7][8] and The Independent's Andy Gill wrote that the album "switch[es] abruptly between cool jazz, prog-fusion and sleek soul".[9]

Discs one and two

The album's opening track, "Rabbot Ho", is one of several songs on the album that references alcohol, recreational drug use, and partying, and concludes with the lyric "Let's go hard, get drunk, and travel down a rabbit ho[le]".[10] "Uh Uh" is a jazz-funk instrumental.[8] "Bus in These Streets" makes reference to problematic smartphone use and disconnecting oneself from digital technology.[10] "A Fan's Mail (Tron Song Suite II)", derives its title partly from Thundercat's pet cat Tron;[11] its lyrics pertain to how Thundercat would prefer to be a cat than a celebrity, and features a chorus of repeating "meows".[9][12]

"Lava Lamp" has been described by Thundercat as follows: "Feel like it's a never-ending tale. It is a lover. It is a person that loves you. There's love and love lost. That's what that is for me."[11] Both "Lava Lamp" and "Show You the Way" have been characterized as "soft rock-tinted";[13] the latter song, which features vocal contributions from Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, has also been described as yacht rock.[8] Thundercat said of "Show You the Way": "That song to me is about going down the rabbit hole, taking you to another place. It's me denoting, 'I can show you how to get to another place.' On the edge of dark, there's the brightest light. It means a lot to me in the sense of the experience that I've had growing up with friends and people that I've been around where it's inviting them into where I come from emotionally".[11]

Regarding "Jethro", which has been characterized as "synthy R&B"[8]—and by Thundercat himself as incorporating "a little bit of disco"—Thundercat stated: "That song feels closer to me talking about death than anything. It's the inevitable. I don't know. That was just my identification with it. That's literally all I can tell you about that song."[11] "Walk on By" is a hip hop duet between Thundercat and Kendrick Lamar[8] that utilizes a drum machine.[11] "Tokyo", which features references to the anime Dragon Ball Z,[10] was influenced by Thundercat's love of anime and his experiences in the eponymous Japanese city.[11] "Jameel's Space Ride" is named after Thundercat's younger brother Jameel Bruner,[11] and contains lyrics alluding to police brutality "over a synthy Nintendo beat".[8]

Discs three and four

"Friend Zone", named after the interpersonal relationship concept, contains references to the video game series Diablo and Mortal Kombat.[10] "Them Changes"—a track first released on Thundercat's 2015 EP The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam[12]—features a sampled beat from the 1977 song "Footsteps in the Dark" by the Isley Brothers.[14] "Drink Dat" is a slow jam featuring rap verses by Wiz Khalifa; the song's lyrics explore the futility of alcohol and drug use as a means of escape from one's problems.[10] Describing "Drink Dat", Thundercat said: "Wiz smokes, and I always had this theory that the smoker and the drinker find each other. He would trip out watching me drink sometimes and be like, 'Whoa.' He'd be like, 'Man, it's pretty crazy.' I was like, 'The way you smoke, that's just the way I drink.' It didn't scare him—it was definitely intense for him, though. It was like, 'Wow, there it is.' The smoker and the drinker personified, and I feel like that's that song."[11]

"The Turn Down", featuring vocals by Pharrell, contains political and environmental themes,[8] and was described by Thundercat as "the 'everything is terrible' song [...] It's very serious, but at the same time a bit joking."[11] The tracks "Inferno", "I Am Crazy", and "3AM" are considered by Thundercat to be akin to a single composition: "I feel like those three songs are actually one song. Essentially, if you're listening to it straight through, there's a bit of a story to it. You can hear it. It's like, 'Am I going crazy?' And then it's 'three o'clock.' There's a part where I kind of really open up about how I feel about things. If you were listen to them again just consecutively, you can hear it a bit."[11] The final track on the album, "DUI", concludes with the lyrics "One more glass to go / where this ends, we'll never know".[8]

Cover and packaging

Brainfeeder's Adam Stover designed the album cover and packaging for Drunk.[15] The front cover image, photographed by filmmaker Eddie Alcazar, features Thundercat nose-deep in a pool of water, staring intensely.[15][16] Alcazar said of the shoot:

We first were going to shoot it in Flylo's bathtub. I had it all ready and filled up with bubbles and even set up moody lights and everything, but [Thundercat] couldn't fit. We moved the shoot to the pool outside, right when the sun was going down and that's when things just got really magically weird ... I was shooting film and my exposure had to be perfect so he had to hold his breath and be still for minutes at a time. That bubble you see by his nose represents the struggle.[15]

Stover drew inspiration from vintage jazz and funk records in designing the album's front and back covers and layout;[15] inspiration was also drawn from the soundtrack to the 1974 film Death Wish, composed by Herbie Hancock, as Thundercat wanted Drunk's visual design to be stylistically similar to that of the Hancock record.[15] The album's title is set in the Cooper Black typeface, and its credits and track listings are set in Franklin Gothic.[15]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.9/10[17]
Metacritic80/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
Chicago Tribune[19]
The Guardian[20]
The Independent[9]
The Irish Times[21]
Mojo[22]
NME[23]
The Observer[24]
Pitchfork8.5/10[6]
Q[25]

Drunk received general praise from music critics. On the review aggregator website Metacritic the album received an aggregate score of 80 based on 26 reviews indicating "generally favourable reviews".[5] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[17]

In a strongly positive review for Exclaim!, Daniel Sylvester praised Thundercat's groove and ability to seemingly shift through song to song while changing a few things, but keeping that groove going well.[13]

Accolades
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
BBC Radio 6 Music Albums of the Year 2017
1
[26]
Exclaim! Top 10 Soul and R&B Albums of 2017
3
[27]
The Guardian The Best Albums of 2017
8
[28]
Noisey The 100 Best Albums of 2017
98
[29]
NME NME's Albums of the Year 2017
50
[30]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2017
24
[31]
Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2017
9
[32]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2017
47
[33]
Vinyl Me, Please The 30 Best Albums of 2017
19
[34]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rabbot Ho"
0:38
2."Captain Stupido"
1:41
3."Uh Uh"
  • Bruner
  • Zack Sekoff
2:16
4."Bus in These Streets"
2:24
5."A Fan's Mail (Tron Song Suite II)"
2:38
6."Lava Lamp"
  • Bruner
  • Spears
2:58
7."Jethro"
  • Bruner
  • Ellison
1:34
8."Day & Night"
  • Bruner
  • S. Burris
0:37
9."Show You the Way" (featuring Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins)
3:34
10."Walk on By" (featuring Kendrick Lamar)
3:19
11."Blackkk"
  • Bruner
  • Spears
1:59
12."Tokyo"
  • Bruner
  • Hamm
2:24
13."Jameel's Space Ride"
  • Bruner
  • Cole
1:09
14."Friend Zone"
3:12
15."Them Changes"
3:08
16."Where I'm Going"
  • Bruner
  • Ellison
2:09
17."Drink Dat" (featuring Wiz Khalifa)
3:35
18."Inferno"Bruner4:00
19."I Am Crazy"Bruner0:25
20."3AM"
  • Bruner
  • Ellison
1:15
21."Drunk"
  • Bruner
  • Ellison
1:42
22."The Turn Down" (featuring Pharrell)
2:29
23."DUI"
  • Bruner
  • Hamm
2:18
Total length:51:24
Japanese version bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
24."Hi" (featuring Mac Miller)
3:01
Total length:54:25

Personnel

Charts
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[35] 58
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[36] 72
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[37] 39
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[38] 78
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[39] 35
French Albums (SNEP)[40] 153
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[41] 63
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[42] 3
Scottish Albums (OCC)[43] 46
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[44] 56
UK Albums (OCC)[45] 37
US Billboard 200[46] 50

References
  1. Mertens, Max (January 25, 2017). "Thundercat Announces Third Album 'Drunk' Featuring Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, Flying Lotus, and More". Vice. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  2. O'Connor, Roisin (January 25, 2017). "Thundercat reveals details of third album 'Drunk' ft. Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, Wiz Khalifa and Flying Lotus". The Independent. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  3. Dandridge-Lemco, Ben (January 25, 2017). "Thundercat Announces Drunk Album, Shares "Show You The Way" With Michael McDonald And Kenny Loggins". The Fader. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  4. Multiple sources:
    • Degrazia, Leah (February 24, 2022). "Thundercat Parlayed Critical Acclaim Into Mainstream Success With 'Drunk'". Genius. Retrieved October 4, 2023. Throughout the 23-track project, Thundercat effortlessly weaves together elements of funk, jazz, R&B, prog, and soul, while jumping from serious topics like police brutality to lighter fare such as friend-zoning.
    • Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (April 13, 2017). "Thundercat on breakout album Drunk, laughing at racism – and his 'sexy cat', Tron". The Guardian. Retrieved October 4, 2023. Drunk is a wild odyssey of 23 tracks – each less than three minutes long – that fuses Bruner's untouchable jazz credentials with punk, hip-hop, stoner psychedelia, funk and 80s soft rock, his soulful falsetto voice pondering subjects as varied as anime, losing your wallet and police brutality.
    • Gaillot 2017: Thundercat explores these impulses and what drives us to them on Drunk, a figure eight-shaped loop through jazz, R&B, and funk influences that serves as his third studio album.
    • Kot 2017: Drunk (Brainfeeder) crams 23 songs and snippets into 51 minutes that evoke the sumptuous jazz-infused R&B of the '70s [...]
    • Moore 2017: Genre [of Drunk]: Jazz/Pop/R&B [...] Thundercat's music, which takes on many forms all at once: '70s funk, R&B, punk with tinges of fusion [...] Each song [on Drunk] hovers around the two-minute mark, defying those '70s fusion forebears whose tracks could drag on over dense harmonies and time signatures.
  5. "Reviews for Drunk by Thundercat". Metacritic. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  6. Moore 2017.
  7. Ritchie, Kevin (February 21, 2017). "Thundercat goes from serious to seriously stupid on Drunk". Now. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  8. Philp, Ray. "Thundercat - Drunk". Resident Advisor. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  9. Gill, Andy (February 22, 2017). "Album reviews: Sleaford Mods – English Tapas, Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer, Thundercat – Drunk, and more". The Independent. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  10. Gaillot 2017.
  11. Schmidt, Torsten (January 25, 2017). "Thundercat Breaks Down Drunk, Track-By-Track". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  12. Corcoran, Nina (March 3, 2017). "Album Review: Thundercat – Drunk". Consequence. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  13. Sylvester, Daniel (February 22, 2017). "Thundercat - Drunk". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  14. Larson, Jeremy D. (July 9, 2015). "Thundercat: "Them Changes" Track Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  15. Steven, Rachael (March 20, 2017). "Work: Thundercat 'Drunk' box set combines darkness, humour and psychedelia". Creative Review. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  16. Francis, Dayne (March 12, 2017). "Top 5 album covers with memorable designs". The Signal. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  17. "Drunk by Thundercat reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  18. Kellman, Andy. "Drunk – Thundercat". AllMusic. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  19. Kot 2017.
  20. Hutchinson, Kate (February 23, 2017). "Thundercat: Drunk review – a lopsided wonderland of stoned soul". The Guardian. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  21. Carroll, Jim (February 22, 2017). "Thundercat: Drunk album review – hear the bassist get wicked". The Irish Times. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  22. "Thundercat: Drunk". Mojo (282): 91. May 2017.
  23. Cochrane, Greg (February 23, 2017). "Thundercat – 'Drunk' Review". NME. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  24. Jaward, Isa (February 26, 2017). "Thundercat: Drunk review – mesmeric and funk-fuelled". The Observer. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  25. Lynskey, Dorian (May 2017). "Feline Groovy". Q (371): 113.
  26. BBC Radio 6 Music Staff (November 27, 2017). "Albums of the Year 2017". BBC Radio 6 Music. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  27. Exclaim! Staff (November 30, 2017). "Top 10 Soul and R&B Albums of 2017". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  28. The Guardian Staff (December 13, 2017). "Best Albums of 2017". The Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  29. "The 100 Best Albums of 2017". Noisey. December 6, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  30. "NME's Albums of the Year 2017". NME. November 23, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  31. "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Pitchfork. December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  32. "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. November 14, 2017. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  33. Stereogum Staff (December 5, 2017). "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Stereogum. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  34. "The 30 Best Albums of 2017". Vinyl Me, Please. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  35. "ARIA CHART WATCH #410". auspOp. March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  36. "Austriancharts.at – Thundercat – Drunk" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  37. "Ultratop.be – Thundercat – Drunk" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  38. "Thundercat Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  39. "Dutchcharts.nl – Thundercat – Drunk" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  40. "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums - SNEP (Week 9, 2017)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  41. "Offiziellecharts.de – Thundercat – Drunk" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  42. "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  43. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  44. "Swisscharts.com – Thundercat – Drunk". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  45. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  46. "Thundercat Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 7, 2017.

Sources
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