Written by Kevin Paul, Contributor

Thundercat dives into a spiral of love, introspection, and madness within his third studio album “DRUNK.”

Los Angeles native Stephen Bruner, better known as Thundercat, is a bass player who’s contributed to the lyricism and setting of Kendrick Lamar’s “Wesley’s Theory” on “To Pimp A Butterfly” to the narrative and context of Childish Gambino’s “Shadows” on “Because of The Internet”.

With “DRUNK,” Thundercat wishes to discuss his perspective on what he’s witnessed throughout multiple years of recording and observation, as he’s stated on NOW Magazine. From his previous sixteen-minute length, “The Beyond/Where The Giants Roam”, Thundercat focuses on portraying the role of a character who is trying to understand life, while being influenced and touched by the death of close friends.

While incorporating help from Wiz Khalifa, Pharrell, and Kendrick Lamar, Thundercat hopes to use inspiration from artists such as Erykah Badu and Kenny Lodgins to explain his perspective on life, death, and the afterlife in parallel to the way the world operates. As a result, Thundercat

explains that the project will begin coherently and will slowly uncoil while speaking on subject matters such as the “Friend Zone,” one of the singles off of Thundercat’s “DRUNK.”

With an album cover of a half-submerged face paired with a scowling glare, Thundercat hopes to present a project that will both entice listeners and present a new perspective on being intoxicated. “DRUNK” releases this Friday.