Apocalypse
A brilliant, bittersweet collision of hyper-kinetic jazz-fusion basslines, neon-lit electronic funk, and deeply personal grief.
A brilliant, bittersweet collision of hyper-kinetic jazz-fusion basslines, neon-lit electronic funk, and deeply personal grief.
Grief-stricken breakthrough
Thick, bubbling basslines collide with the cold shock of grief on a record that pulled cosmic jazz-fusion down into the raw dirt of human loss. After years of playing in the background, these ten tracks mark the moment the virtuoso stepped into the spotlight as a grieving vocalist, wrapping his falsetto around neon-lit synthesizers and hyper-kinetic funk grooves. You can feel the sweat on the fretboard and the sting of recent tragedy in the breezy, bittersweet melodies. It is a frantic, beautiful attempt to outrun sorrow through sheer speed, transforming private mourning into a glowing, kaleidoscopic dancefloor.
The record leans heavily into raw grief, transforming the usual playful lyricism into a tender, heartbreaking eulogy for a lost friend.
Warmly received as a more focused sophomore effort, the album was widely praised for balancing intricate musicianship with accessible, catchy songwriting. While critics appreciated how the record navigates an emotional path from tragedy toward hope, some noted that its seemingly effortless quality makes it easy to take its underlying depth for granted.
“Even with intermittent singing, Apocalypse often resembles a collection of hip-hop backing tracks sans words, which isn’t necessarily bad, but requires more diversity and dynamism than this album possesses”Read review
“It’s a bash-up of prog-rock, electronica and funk, in descending order of influence, and Bruner conjoins all of them to create a drifting, happily disorienting otherworld”Read review
“Its melodies sink in deep, its fret-dancing motifs engaging and its vocals slipping between passages of deep-grooved future-funk with beautiful poise and purpose”Read review
“An album that brings its catchiest tendencies to the forefront and lets the virtuosic stuff in through side channels”Read review
“Each listen not only dives deeper into some of the most advanced instrumentalism heard this year, but also dissects each nerve ending of Thundercat’s heart”Read review
“This bass cat’s on the path to majesty”
“Staring into a murky void, Thundercat has actually made his clearest music yet”Read review
“Apocalypse is a winner from first listen onwards, but the effortlessness of it means it’s easy to take for granted”Read review
“When it comes to jazzy soul that sounds like the future more than the past, Thundercat and co-producer Flying Lotus have it nailed”Read review
“A rewarding and difficult second album, with its roots in tragedy and loss and its furthermost fronds in hope and moving forward”Read review
“Sharper, more focused second album”Read review
“this album is the full realisation of his talent as a bass player, musician and, most importantly, a songwriter. Apocalypse is, in short, a supreme triumph”Read review
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