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.

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The LA bass virtuoso will move through mainland Europe from March 5-23  before a week of UK and Ireland dates. The itinerary is ambitious, spanning multiple countries and featuring a significant number of dates across major cities. It includes mult-night residencies in Utrecht, Netherlands and Bristol, UK.

For many, Thundercat is a musician of rare dualities: he can move you with a whisper, then shake the ground with a bass drop; he can be playful and profound, while being intimate and expansive. Thundercat’s 2026 itinerary is more than just a string of gigs. It is a narrative arc for the LA-based artist as he seeks to reconnect with his influences and a community of fans who are eagerly waiting to see how this new chapter unfolds. For a musician whose catalogue balances both virtuosity and vulnerability, this tour feels like a celebration of both.

Commencing the tour in mid-July, Mac will play in LA (his first tour show since 2022) before playing three consecutive dates at Webster Hall in New York. He will then travel to Paris to play at Cabaret Sauvage for three shows and end the tour with a three-date residency at Hackney Empire, London.

Sharing the announcement on his Facebook Mac wrote that the tour “Should be nice, should be different, hopefully, it will be special. Hope to see you there”.

Mac dropped his fifth studio album Five Easy Hot Dogs on the 20^th January. Though, unlike his previous albums, it’s comprised of instrumental numbers Mac’s laidback and mellow signature style is still present. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

In true chilled-out drifter attitude, Mac had no set plan when recording the record instead taking inspiration from his time on the road. “The plan was to start driving north, and not go home to Los Angeles until I was done with a record,” said Mac in a press release. “Kind of like being on tour, except there weren’t any shows, and I’d just be burning money.”

He expanded to say that the people he met shaped the album: “Some places I stayed longer in than others, some of them I knew from the past, others not so much.  I tried to keep things busy all the time. If I didn’t know what was up in a city, I’d just walk around ‘til someone recognized me and go from there. I met a lot of interesting people this way, and had a bunch of cool experiences.”

Watch the accompanying visuals to the album below:

The slacker-rock icon is adored by Gen Z for his viral TikTok hits such as “Heart to Heart” and “Chamber of Reflection”. MacBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco first began recording as a solo artist in 2011 after moving to Montreal. His second album, Salad Days, peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard 200 and 90 on the UK Album Charts and from there, Mac’s fame has only risen.

Last weekend was a busy time for Mac with the singer clambering onto the Coachella stage not once but twice to the surprise and delight of attendees. The Garden brought out the singer to add their chaotic performance on the 14^th April. DeMarco and iconic bassist and vocalist Thundercat also joined the Jazz duo DOMi and JD BECK on the same day.

For tickets and more information on Mac DeMarco’s tour see here.

See below for all Europe and UK dates:

24/07/23 – Cabaret Sauvage – Paris
25/07/23 – Cabaret Sauvage – Paris
26/07/23 – Cabaret Sauvage – Paris
30/07 – Hackney Empire – London
31/07 – Hackney Empire – London
01/08 – Hackney Empire – London

Another “Skinny Ape” performance is scheduled to take place on the 17th December in Time Square.

The London show will be directed by artist and Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett, and Emmy-nominated Fx Goby (To Build a Fire, En Tus Brazos, Back to the Moon).  Both it and its New York counterpart are created by Nexus Studios, using Google’s ARCore Geospatial API to transform the physical performance venues.

Check out the trailer for the immersive experience, in which we catch a first glimpse of the larger-than-life animated characters roaming the city streets.

In a press release talking about the new shows, Gorillaz bassist Murdoc Niccals said, “Thanks to the techies at Google, we’ve created the music video event of the century, so don your pink robes and come see Gorillaz like you’ve never seen us before. The future is nigh!”

“Skinny Ape” is the fourth single from Gorillaz’ new album, Cracker Island, scheduled for release 24th February 2023 on Gorilaz Productions, Parlophone and Warner records.  The new album will be the eighth full studio album by the English virtual band.  The “Skinny Ape” single was debuted on Gorillaz’ 2022 World Tour, and has already become a firm favourite with fans.

The band are in good company on the album, which features contributions from Stevie Nicks, Adeleye Omotayo, Thundercat, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, Bootie Brown and Beck.  Eight-time Grammy-award-winning multi-instrumentalist/ singer-songwriter Greg Kurstin produced the album, along with Gorillaz and Remi Kabaka Jr.  Cracker Island’s ten tracks were recorded in London and Los Angeles earlier this year.

You can preorder the new album here, and check out the official audio for new single “Skinny Ape” below.

The new single comes with the arguably more interesting prospect of a full new Gorillaz album. The band’s 10^th LP Cracker Island is set for release on February 24^th and will feature the likes of Thundercat, Stevie Nicks, Adeleye Omotayo, Bad Bunny, and Beck. You can look into full pre-order information, as well as the tracklist here. The album will feature the recently released Thundercat featured track ‘Cracker Island’ after it debuted earlier in the year.

Introducing Cracker Island
THE NEW ALBUM
Out February 2023
Pre-order now https://t.co/CkN1CrFP8k

@Thundercat @StevieNicks #AdeleyeOmotayo @tameimpala @bootiebrown @sanbenito @beck #crackerisland pic.twitter.com/f1UH8DG38B

— gorillaz (@gorillaz) August 31, 2022

The album comes ahead of the rumoured “Full-length Gorillaz film” we were promised by Albarn at the tail end of last year. In a conversation with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Albarn explained, “It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. It’s been through so many incarnations. Gorillaz doing a movie. Honestly. But Netflix, I don’t know. I mean, apart from the kind of running this city now, I mean – It’s just extraordinary to see how ubiquitous they are now. Yeah. They just seem like they’re a good creative team, you know? But I can’t say anything more about it, obviously, because… No, no, no.” So, with very little information revealed on the subject being revealed since… could this be the start? Or maybe just something else entirely.

Two weeks ago, saw Gorillaz play their only UK gig this year at London’s All Points East Festival. The group saw themselves topping a line-up consisting of Self Esteem, Pusha T, Idles, and Turnstile. During their set, the band performed their new single with Tame Impala as well as the usual suspects when it comes to a Gorillaz setlist – including a rare appearance from Shaun Ryder for their 2005 single ‘DARE’.

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“Cracker Island” premiered in Uruguay a while back and the live performance didn’t have any special features, but the backing track (and massive visuals in the background) confirms that the studio version has some musical and vocal additions from everyone’s favourite prog-R&B bassist Thundercat. The same show also premiered another new track called “Silent Running”, but so far, no information on a studio recording has come to light. You can watch a fan-shot recording of the new track below.

Perhaps this new track (or probable series of tracks) will be released in conjunction with the “Full-length Gorillaz film” we were promised by Albarn at the tail end of last year. In a conversation with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Albarn explained, “It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. It’s been through so many incarnations. Gorillaz doing a movie. Honestly. But Netflix, I don’t know. I mean, apart from the kind of running this city now, I mean – It’s just extraordinary to see how ubiquitous they are now. Yeah. They just seem like they’re a good creative team, you know? But I can’t say anything more about it, obviously, because… No, no, no.” So, with very little information revealed on the subject being revealed since… could this be the start? Or maybe just something else entirely.

As mentioned before, Gorillaz are currently in the middle of a massive world tour. They are currently working on the European leg with a number of arena and festival dates all over the continent. While the UK leg of the tour is all but over, the group will be returning to London’s All Points East Festival on August 19^th for 1 final date before moving on to North America. You can bag what few tickets may remain to the show here.

The show saw Damon Albarn dust off a wealth of old gems as well as some rarer songs making some surprising entries, playing “Pirate Jet” for the first time since 2010 and giving the D-Sides track “Rockit” it’s premier live debut. But the show’s Coup de Grâce was no doubt when a scratchy saw-toothed synth announced the arrival of “Cracker Island”. Check out the fan captured footage below;

The second track to get its first outing for the lucky crowd was “Silent Running” which combines the band’s distinctive electronic harmonies with their penchant for an unforgettable bass riff. Take a look for yourself in the video below;

To get a sense of just how impressive and varied Gorrilaz’s catalogue truly is, take a look at the setlist they laid out;

“M1 A1”
“Strange Timez”
“Last Living Souls”
“Tranz”
“Aries”
“Tomorrow Comes Today”
“Rhinestone Eyes”
“19-2000”
“Glitter Freeze” (First time live since 2017)
“Cracker Island” (with Thundercat) (World premiere)
“O Green World” (First time live since 2017)
“On Melancholy Hill”
“Pirate Jet” (First time live since 2010)
“El Mañana”
“Silent Running” (World premiere)
“Interlude: Elevator Going Up”
“Andromeda”
“Rockit” (Live debut)
“Dirty Harry” (with Bootie Brown)
“Superfast Jellyfish” (with Pos)
“Feel Good Inc.” (with Pos)
“Momentary Bliss”
“Plastic Beach”

In a typically cryptic Gorillaz brand of messaging, the aforementioned visuals saw the listless channel flipping of a giant television set, before arriving on “The Static Channel”, which may signify a new phase of the band’s creative output following their most recent Song Machine releases.

Gorillaz will be returning to the UK later in the summer and will headline the All Points East festival, alongside the likes of IDLES, Self Esteem, Yves Tumor, Femi Kuti, Turnstile, Remi Wolf, Ibeyi, Nia Archives, Willow Kane, Obongjayar, New Dad and Gabriels. The festival is located in London’s Victoria Park and takes place on Friday the 19^th of August 2022. You can find tickets here.

In recent news, Albarn popped up at both legs of Coachella 2022 and performed alongside Billie Eilish, performing her song “Getting Older” and his smash hit “Feel Good Inc.”. You can see their performance of “Feel Good Inc.” ft. De La Soul in the video below;

“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 Chic legend, Nile Rodgers, will take over the prestigious venue with a hand-picked bill between for the festivals 26th edition. He will be following in the footsteps of The Cure’s Robert Smith, David Bowie, and M.I.A. As well as a headline performance from Nile Rodgers himself, the line-up also features an electric mix of artists including Eurythmics Songbook, Despacio, Anitta, Thundercat, and Songhoy Blues.