From the opening bars, ‘She Knows Too Much‘ slides effortlessly into Thundercat’s unmistakable groove: elastic bass lines, shimmering synths, and those high, falsetto-inflected ad-libs that sound like sunlight bending through a prism. Against that funky backdrop, Miller’s mellow, conversational flow glides in; his presence instantly grounds the track with warmth and familiarity.

For longtime fans, the collaboration resonates far beyond the music itself. Thundercat and Mac Miller’s friendship stretched back years, their musical chemistry immortalised on Miller’s ‘Swimming’ and the posthumous ‘Circles’. Here, that connection is reignited, not as a memorial but as a continuation

Accompanying the single is a dazzling animated music video that takes the emotional storytelling even further. The visuals follow cartoon versions of Thundercat and Miller on a surreal adventure through neon skylines and cosmic playgrounds. One moment, they’re cruising through a city that glows like a carnival, the next, they’re spinning through space, tumbling between casinos, rollercoasters, and galaxies. The animation seamlessly blends 2D cartoon whimsy with bursts of stop motion, creating an aesthetic as unpredictable and vibrant as the music itself.

But amid the energy and laughter, the finale lands like a quiet exhale. Thundercat awakens from what seems to be a dream and looks skyward, the moon transforming into Mac Miller’s face. This tender, wordless tribute gestures Thundercats longing and love for his late friend. The song’s ultimate meaning in that moment is crystallised. It is not justabout loss; it’s about legacy, memory, and the eternal bond between artists who genuinely changed each other’s worlds.

In interviews over the years, Thundercat has often reflected on how deeply Mac Miller shaped his outlook on music and friendship. Speaking to The FADER shortly after Miller’s passing, he said, “Mac was one of those people who made you feel like creating was the most natural thing in the world. He just made you want to show up and play.” That spirit runs right through ‘She Knows Too Much‘, a track that feels alive with that same spontaneous joy, the sense that both artists are still pushing each other forward, even across time and loss.

‘She Knows Too Much’ captures Thundercat at his most heartfelt and daring, bridging eras and emotions in one radiant, psychedelic moment. If ‘Distracted’ continues in this spirit, it’s shaping up to be one of the most compelling releases of the year.

“It is what it is” is the artist’s fourth studio album, and hit the shelves on April 3rd 2020. The album was well received, winning Best Progressive R&B album at the Grammies, and it features Childish Gambino, Lil B, Zack Fox and several others. The lyrics have Thundercat’s characteristic humour, but the work deals with themes of grief and loss as the music was heavily influenced by the loss of Mac Miller, who was a close friend of the artist.

In an interview with NPR in 2020, Thundercat spoke about looking forward to playing live again in the future: “The act of being together and playing live is such a specific thing. I think that this will make those moments even more special when everybody gets a chance to do it, because we realize that it could be taken away from us at any given time. But there’s nothing that makes up for it, in my mind, actually being able to play live and go on tour and make music with friends.”

Despite being unable to tour throughout the pandemic, Thundercat has kept busy in the music world, working on a couple of collaborations. Earlier in 2021 the artists worked with Haim on a song for the expanded edition of ‘Women in music, pt III”, their 2020 album. He also worked with long-time collaborator Flying Lotus on the track “Black Gold” in April.

You can buy tickets to see Thundercat on tour next year here.

Tour dates

29.03.22 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow

01.04 – Manchester Academy, Manchester

03.04 – O2 Academy Brixton, London

04.04 – Paradiso, Amsterdam, NL

05.04 – Melkweg, Amsterdam, NL

06.04 – Élysée Montmartre, Paris, FR

09.04  – De Roma, Antwerp, BE

10.04  – Astra, Berlin, DE

The rapper died from “mixed drug toxicity”, a combination of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol that were discovered in his system at the time of death. Now in a 42 page criminal complaint, filed in the Central District of California, that NBC News managed to obtain, the document claims that 28 year old Cameron James Petitt supplied the American artist with oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl, which were counterfeit. Now Petitt has been charged on one count of distribution of a controlled substance. If found guilty, Petitt could face up to 20 years in prison.

Authorities collected a plastic bag that contained pills at the scene of his death. After Cameron’s arrest was made, the DEA Los Angeles Deputy Special Agent in Charge, Daniel C. Comeaux, announced in a statement, “While the death of any victim of the opioid epidemic is tragic, today’s arrest is another success for the DEA’s HIDTA Fusion Task Force. Let our message be clear, if you peddle illegal drugs and kill someone, the DEA will be the voice of the victim. We will not rest until you face the justice system.”

Ariana Grande gave an interview to Vogue on July 9, she spoke to them honestly about her ex boyfriend Miller. She discussed with the magazine. “I never thought I’d even go to Coachella. I was always a person who never went to festivals and never went out and had fun like that. But the first time I went was to see Malcolm perform, and it was such an incredible experience,”

Ariana added fondly, “He was the best person ever, and he didn’t deserve the demons he had”.

“Malcolm McCormick, known and adored by fans as Mac Miller, has tragically passed away at the age of 26,” his family said in a statement to Rolling Stone. They added: “He was a bright light in this world for his family, friends and fans. Thank you for your prayers. Please respect our privacy. There are no further details as to the cause of his death at this time.”

The County of Los Angeles medical examiner also released a statement: “In the late morning of Sept. 7, Malcolm McCormick (dob 1/19/92) was found unresponsive in his home located in the 11600 block of Valleycrest Drive in Studio City.”

“Authorities were called and Miller was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:51 a.m. At this time, an autopsy is pending and a cause of death has not been determined.”

Miller was a brutally honest artist, who had spoken openly in the past about his problems with substance abuse. Speaking to Billboard in 2015, the rapper detailed how he had struggled to cope with the sudden success of his debut album, explaining  “I was doing a lot of drugs around that time, which is another difference now: I’m not doing as many drugs…It just eats at your mind, doing drugs every single day, every second. It’s rough on your body.”

Mac further elaborated that his fear of death was something that pushed him to make and create as much music as possible, as both a performer, and a producer, saying “I’ve got to make sure I make all this music so when I die there’s albums and albums.”

Miller had been due to embark on a tour next month, in support of his recent, critically acclaimed album Swimming. Tributes from the music world have flooded in, with the likes of Chance the Rapper and Earl Sweatshirt clearly effected, having had a close working relationship with Miller.

I dont know what to say Mac Miller took me on my second tour ever. But beyond helping me launch my career he was one of the sweetest guys I ever knew. Great man. I loved him for real. Im completely broken. God bless him.

— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) September 7, 2018

Its so crazy cause earl literally hit me up this morning him and vince were real friebds I met at a pivotal time in my life through mac. This shit hurts so bad. If you love someone male sure u tell em

— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) September 7, 2018

In August, Miller was charged with driving under the influence, after being involved in a car crash in May, with Miller reportedly crashing into and knocking over a power pole in the San Fernando Valley area. The rapper allegedly fled the scene with two passengers, before being arrested at his home later on.

Weeks earlier, Miller had also broken up with his partner, fellow artist Ariana Grande. After the split, Grande called Miller her “best friend”, adding that she “respects and adores him endlessly” and that she was “so proud of him.”

A few days later, Grande released a further statement regarding her relationship with Miller: “I have cared for him and tried to support his sobriety & prayed for his balance for years (and always will of course)…I will continue to pray from the bottom of my heart that he figures it all out.” Today, comments have been disabled on Ariana Grande’s Instagram account, following an influx of comments in response to the news of Miller’s death.

Miller’s last live performance came at an intimate concert at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, with a video of the performance already online.

Taking place in the capital’s Victoria Park from July 15-16, this year’s festival saw sets from the likes of Frank Ocean, Miller, and Solange. However the festival has today made headlines for all the wrong reasons, after attendee Louisa Davies claimed that the festival’s security staff sexual assaulted her during the aforementioned Ocean’s headline set on Friday night.

To the security guard at Lovebox who put his hand up my shorts – I'm not letting you ruin my weekend, you absolute scumbag.

— Louisa Davies (@LouisaD__) July 15, 2017

In a piece written for W Magazine, Davies described her experience, writing “A line of security guards walked towards me in a yellow line, and naturally (as I am a sucker for authority), I moved. One by one, the men walked past me… I felt a hand run up my thigh, and it then tuck itself inside my shorts. I froze, pushed the man away from me, and before I had chance to think, he had gone.”

In addition to this, Davies claims that it took nearly 40 minutes for her complaints of the assault to be addressed, continuing to say “If the same urgency and seriousness that was applied to drugs was issued for assaults and derogatory attitudes towards women, perhaps the problem [of sexual assault at festivals] would be less severe.”

Sexual assault at festivals has become a burning issue in modern musical culture, and back in May, several music festivals’ official websites participated in a “blackout” to affirm their dedication to tackling the issue.

Lovebox were not one of the festivals that took part in this blackout, and as of yet the festival’s organisers MAMA Group have not yet responded to these accusations.