Possibly the most famous electric bassist not in a band in the music business right now, Thundercat, has unveiled the music video for "Them Changes" from his spellbinding June album, The Beyond/Where the Giants Roam. The video features a samurai who attempts to fight another katana-wielding warrior, but after a brief battle, he has his arms cut off. Mimicking the vocals, sung by the Kendrick Lamar and Flying Lotus collaborator, the samurai goes into depression about losing what is most important to him.
The video was directed by Doomsday Entertainment's Carlos Lopez Estrada who explained why he decided to with the Samurai fight as a visual representation of heartbreak.
"Thundercat's take on heartbreak is so atypical that I figured the video for the song should be anything but a classic relationship-gone-wrong story," notes Estrada in a statement. "Stories like athletes' careers ending after injuries or artists losing their site/hearing/ability to perform; these concepts are truly heartbreaking. I also know that Thundercat has a thing for samurais-so I saw an opportunity to make everyone happy here. Or everyone sad, I guess."
Watch the video below.
Thundercat, real name Stephen Bruner, will be on tour for the rest of the summer and into the fall across North America. The bassist and singer will be performing at shows in Houston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Vancouver and elsewhere. See the full list of tour dates below and head to his website for full ticket information.
THUNDERCAT TOUR DATES:
8/01 - 02: Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon Festival @ Pendarvis Farm
8/06: Washington, DC @ Afropunk Pre-Party @ The Howard Theatre
8/08: Los Angeles, CA @ Low End Theory Festival @ Shrine Expo Hall
8/23: Brooklyn, NY @ Afropunk Festival @ Commodore Barry Park
9/17: San Diego, CA @ Cabsah
9/18: Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
9/19: Albuquerque, NM @ Historic El Rey Theatre
9/20: Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
9/22: Tulsa, OK @ Vanguard
9/23: Austin, TX @ Holy Mountain
9/24: Houston, TX @ Studio at Warehouse Live
9/25: San Antonio, TX @ Alamo City Club
9/26: Denton, TX @ Oaktopia
9/27: Toronto, ON @ The Hoxton
9/29: Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
9/30: Boston, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
10/01: Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
10/03: Atlanta, GA @ Afropunk Festival @ Atlanta's Central Park
10/04: Vancouver, BC @ The Alexander
10/06: Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
10/07: Portland, OR @ Star Theatre
10/08: Arcata, CA @ Arcata Theatre
10/09: San Francisco, CA @ 1015 Folsom
10/10: Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones
