Simply put, Thundercat’s Drunk is a revelation of an album, a thunderous fusion of jazz, funk, soul and more for nearly an hour of euphoria. After digesting Drunk, it’s understandable if you’d want more, and thankfully Thundercat has yet another ace up his sleeve courtesy of the bonus track “Hi” featuring Mac Miller.
Miller’s own sonic journey into live instrumentation and genre fusing work has been a joy to watch and hear, so a collaboration with Thundercat makes for a natural fit.
It takes nearly a minute for Mac to fully, drunkenly and joyously leap all the way onto the track with his tale of agonizing love. “I’m down to the bottom of the bottle” he wails at one point before warbling “Say hello forever, and goodbye tomorrow.” Miller won’t be mistaken for a pristine vocalist any time soon, but the same songwriting and mastery of melody that made his last album The Divine Feminine such a marvelous listen is present here.
It’s not a typical track, structurally, but it fits the Thundercat sonic thumbprint and aesthetic perfectly, so much so it’s a wonder “Hi” didn’t make the album. Whatever went into the decision to leave it on the cutting room floor doesn’t matter anymore though, because it’s surfaced and can be added to all playlists accordingly.
