Distracted is the fifth studio album by American musician Thundercat, released through Brainfeeder on April 3, 2026. His first album in six years following his previous LP, It Is What It Is, it was preceded by five singles: "No More Lies" with Tame Impala, "I Wish I Didn't Waste Your Time", "I Did This to Myself" featuring Lil Yachty, "She Knows Too Much" featuring Mac Miller, and "ThunderWave" featuring Willow Smith.
The album was executive produced by Thundercat and Greg Kurstin, with additional credits from Flying Lotus, Kenny Beats and the Lemon Twigs. It also features guest appearances from Tame Impala, Lil Yachty, ASAP Rocky, Channel Tres, Beck, Haley Joel Osment, Domi and JD Beck, and Willow, as well as a posthumous feature by Mac Miller.
Release and promotion In April 2023, Thundercat and Tame Impala released the single "No More Lies". Thundercat released the double single "I Wish I Didn't Waste Your Time" and "Children of the Baked Potato", the latter featuring Remi Wolf, in September 2025. On January 29, 2026, he announced the album and released its lead single, "I Did This to Myself" featuring Lil Yachty. On February 17, 2026, he released the single "She Knows Too Much" featuring Mac Miller. On March 10, 2026, he released the single "ThunderWave", featuring Willow Smith.
He is scheduled to embark on the Distracted AF Tour in North America in support of the album. It is set to begin on October 10, 2026 in Miami and conclude on Dec 11, 2026 in Austin, Texas, with Channel Tres, TiaCorine, Fera, 54 Ultra, and Kitty Ca$h as opening acts.
Critical reception
Distracted received critical acclaim upon release. On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the album received a weighted average score of 81 from 100 based on ten reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? compiled twelve reviews and gave the album an average of 7.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
Writing for Rolling Stone, Will Hermes praised the album for its more restrained and focused approach, noting that Thundercat's virtuosic playing supports the songwriting rather than overpowering it, while highlighting its cohesive, retro-influenced sound and themes of modern anxiety. Tallie Spencer of HotNewHipHop wrote, "Even with heavier themes, Thundercat keeps his signature lightness intact, balancing introspection with humor and warmth. At this point, Thundercat isn’t chasing anything. He’s just refining a lane that’s fully his." The Wall Street Journals Mark Richardson called the album "a subtle yet complex offering whose tranquil exterior masks an apprehensive core."
Pastes Grant Sharples gave the album a C+ grade and wrote, "Stephen Bruner’s first album in six years contains glimmers of his in-the-pocket bass skills, but it too often cedes ground to mid-tempo monotony."
Track listing
Personnel Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal.
Thundercat – vocals, bass guitar Emily Lazar – mastering Bob DeMaa – mastering assistance Miles Showell – half-speed cut Greg Kurstin – synthesizer (tracks 1, 5, 7–11, 13), mixing (1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15), keyboards (1, 8, 9, 11), piano (1), engineering (3–5, 7, 9, 11, 13), Rhodes (3, 7, 8, 13), drums (5, 7–9, 13), percussion (5, 11), acoustic guitar (9), congas (11) Julian Burg – engineering (1, 3–5, 7–9, 11, 13), programming (8) Matt Tuggle – engineering (1, 3–5, 7–9, 11, 13) JD Beck – drums, vocals (1) Domi Louna – synthesizer, vocals (1) Vikram Devasthali – trombone (1) Jordan Katz – trumpet (1) Juliane Gralle – bass trombone (1) Gerald Albright – performance (1) Dan Reckard – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone (1) Kevin Parker – performance, mixing (2) Spike Stent – mixing (3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13) Mac Miller – vocals, programming (3) Taylor Graves – keyboards (3) Maurice Brown – trombone, trumpet (3) Vic Wainstein – engineering (4, 6, 10–12, 14) Flying Lotus – programming (4, 14), keyboards (4), synthesizer (14) Lil Yachty – vocals (4) Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – string arrangement, viola (4) Beck – vocals (5, 9) ASAP Rocky – vocals (5) Brian D'Addario – performance (6, 12) Michael D'Addario – performance (6, 12) Kenneth Blume – engineering (6) Nick Lee – performance (6) Aaron Paris – performance (6) Pedro Martins – guitar (7) Haley Joel Osment – vocals (8) Channel Tres – vocals, programming (10) Willow – vocals (11) Dennis Hamm – synthesizer (11) Neil Krug – photography, layout, design
Charts + Chart performance for Distracted Chart (2026) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 28 Irish Independent Albums (IRMA) Note: Select 2026 on the year selector and 10-Apr-26 on the date selector. 12 Japanese Dance & Soul Albums (Oricon) 2 Japanese Download Albums (Billboard Japan) 30 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 28 Portuguese Albums (AFP) 194
Release history +Release formats for Distracted Region Date Format Label Various April 3, 2026 Brainfeeder Distracted release formats:
References