Thundercat's It Is What It Is: The Beauty of Facing Existence with Funky Space Rhythms

Themes don’t take shape immediately on It Is What It Is. Sounds do though. Almost immediately, it feels as though the Earth has opened up giving way to sounds of trumpets, bass guitars, and drums now floating through space. It Is What It Is starts off in a number of different places. They all seem to have a single origin though. That place is space. Thundercat draws on Funkadelic influences more than most of his previous work on It is What It Is. In more obvious ways on tracks like “Interstellar Love.” Instruments float through space on the record. The tone mimics in the lyrics as Thundercat croons about returning to space as the particles that make up our bodies. Here is where we start to get a sense of what is on Thundercat’s mind. It’s an existential theme that will start to explode in later tracks.

One of the most prevailing aspects of the album is not just the funky interstellar sound, but how Thundercat approaches the idea of existentialism. Songs about dying, returning to the void, and futility are not just laced with funky notes, but offset by tracks like “Dragonball Durag.” The track is a departure in tone from the rest of the record, but that’s why it works so well. It elevates the rest of the esoteric discussion by grounding it in something as ridiculous as insisting on wearing your chains and Dragonball durag while having sex. “Funny Thing” abides by the same ethos extolling the virtues of hedonism amidst the uptempo futuristic sounds.

As the album winds down though, Thundercat turns back to a somber tone. The tempo slows dramatically on tracks like “Unrequited Love.” It’s a track about lost love allowing the listener to bask in the slow brood of heartbreak. “Fair Chance” continues that tone and largely hits the same tempo, but feels noticeably different than most of the other tracks on the album. It features a short but wonderful vocal performance from Ty Dolla $ign (one of the most surefire featured artists of this generation). More than that, it evokes a melody remarkably similar to some of Jon Brion’s work on the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind score. The bassline is funky, but the driving melody speaks to an aching sadness reflected in Lil B’s guest verse. It is also one of the best tracks released this year.

Thundercat’s serious absurdity is more present than ever on It Is What It Is. The album knows exactly what it is, and that’s not beholden to any box we might like to put it in. It’s a funky, existential trip through space. It’s a trip through space that makes stops at a variety of places from heartbreak to grief to love each with their own flavor of sensuality. Even when early tracks that feel like jam sessions give way to some of the more heartrending songs later in the record, you are at peace to be floating through space created by Thundercat and crew. After all is said and done, there’s nothing left to say: it is what it is.