Dallas has a special place in Thundercat’s heart.

Neil Krug

On a Wednesday night this past August, people lined up for blocks outside of ShyBoy in Downtown Dallas. Waiting for them at the bottom of the listening lounge’s underground stairs was Erykah Badu just days before the release of her highly-anticipated record, “Before the World Blows,” a joint project with The Alchemist. Unbeknownst to them, Thundercat, who is featured on the album’s “They Ain’t You” cut, was also waiting for them in ShyBoy.  

“ShyBoy was awesome,” Thundercat tells the Observer. “I really, really enjoyed that. I enjoyed the whole experience. I’m so happy about Erykah’s album. I got a chance to hear it during the process, and I was so excited for the world to hear this album. It’s definitive Erykah. It’s so beautiful. And with Alchemist, they are literally the perfect rhyme and the perfect beat. That’s what that moment is.”

Los Angeles-born-and-bred Thundercat, whose real name is Stephen Bruner, has a soft spot for Dallas. He has frequently performed at Badu’s birthday concerts in Deep Ellum and has worked with several Dallas producers and artists, including DOMi and JD Beck. Now, he is set to return to Dallas on Sunday, Nov. 8 at The Bomb Factory for a stop on his ongoing Distracted AF Tour.

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Long before Bruner began releasing music as Thundercat, he met Badu through the musical trio, The Sa-Ra Creative Partners, when he was a teenager. The connection was instant, and Bruner often credits her for helping him find his footing as an artist. In the years leading up to Thundercat’s proper debut, Bruner would collaborate with Badu as an instrumentalist. He played bass on several of her late 2000s tracks, including “The Cell” and “Window Seat.”

“Erykah knows exactly what to do with me,” Bruner says. “The creation of each song is such a snapshot of us in life. I have these moments that are like core memories of life, and even lyrically hearing that, from the part where I’ve watched it morph and change in all kinds of ways throughout the years, to where this moment is, Erykah has just always known exactly what she’s wanted to hear from me.”

Bruner’s latest album, “Distracted,” which dropped in April, is his most introspective to date. Balancing the woes of grief and anxiety with his signature brand of lighthearted humor and tongue-in-cheek one-liners, Bruner took his time making this album. It also marks his longest gap between albums, following 2020’s “It Is What It Is.”

“I’ve kind of never been able to finish things,” says Bruner. “It’s always kind of this weird place where I’m just kind of constantly creating. And in this moment, whenever an album has been finished for me, I can step back and I can see a little bit clearer what that time was for me. I think honestly, this moment, the step back and being able to see whatever this is, it’s like ‘Okay, wow, this is what my last few years have been.’” 

Though Bruner’s musical resume spans nearly three decades, he is still an eager student of the game. He is constantly digging through the crates, discovering fresh new sounds. Currently on rotation are Chicago musician Ian Crumley and “Oh Yeah” by Steve Lacy — Bruner’s close friend and frequent collaborator.

And while his own hits might not be radio dominant in the traditional sense, even casual listeners will recognize his signature instrumental grooves and breezy, high-range vocals. The “I just wanna party with you” refrain from Bruner’s song “Funny Thing” went viral during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic during the throes of social distancing. “Dragonball Durag” is likely in heavy rotation at your favorite local coffee shop. And of course, everyone and their mother can recognize that funky bass line in the intro of 2015’s “Them Changes.”

Arguably, “Them Changes” has become Bruner’s signature song, but he never imagined it would be when he was making it.

“I was expressing my emotions in a song,” he says. “It’s definitely crazy for me to see that happen. But at the same time, I was just going through a breakup.”

With Bruner’s music having a special connection to our city in particular, Dallasites can expect a diverse crowd and an especially curated show.

“We’re like a bit of a family,” Bruner says of his favorite local musicians. “And it’s all jokes. Even with the seriousness, it’s all jokes.”

But he also teases a night full of surprises.

“You can expect me to bring the unredacted Epstein files,” he jokes. “Maybe I’ll bring a couple strippers, and some performing circus bears. Maybe we’ll have a weird car meetup, like a street takeover. I’ll bring a flock of seagulls with me — the band and literally the birds.”

Thundercat will play the Bomb Factory on Sunday, Nov. 8. Latin indie artist 54 Ultra will open the show. Tickets start at $60.