“No More Lies” by Thundercat & Tame Impala

“No More Lies”, with an issuance date of 25 April 2023, marks the first collaboration between Thundercat and Tame Impala. Thundercat, a musician from L.A., alongside Kevin Parker aka Tame Impala, who hails from Australia, wrote and produced this track, with the pair also serving as its vocalists and ‘Cat, who is known more as an instrumentalist, taking the lead in that regard. 

“No More Lies” was put out through Brainfeeder, a West Coast indie label that was founded a few years back by regular Thundercat collaborator Flying Lotus and whom the former is signed to.

Lyrics of “No More Lies”

The addressee is the vocalist’s ex. And by the looks of things, the primary factor which drove them apart was Thundercat’s own “kind of an ass” like behavior, buttressed by him simultaneously opting to separate himself from his sweetheart in pursuit of his destiny, or something like that. 

The depth of what’s being put forth here implies that this song is based on a real-life romance, one which the vocalist was in for “like seven years”. And when these long-term relationships fall apart, sometimes it can be complex as to ascertaining exactly why.

So with that in mind, it’s not abundantly clear what the vocalist means by “no more lies”. What the title is apparently alluding to is Thundercat now, sometime after the fact, coming clean to his ex. 

So let’s say that what precisely he’s confessing to is rather left up to the imagination. It may be that the vocalist has now reached the point where he’s willing to fess up to his romantic mistakes. But at the same time, he seems to more or less chalk up the dissolution of the romance at hand to it having naturally run its course, or something like that.

“I’ll just be on my own, I’ll just stay home alone
My troubles are my own
Unless she wants to come back
I’ll just be on my own (Yeah), I’m dancin’ on my own
I’ll just stay on my own (Unless she wants to…)”

Again, these types of situations can be complex, when for instance a guy, such as this vocalist it would seem, feels as if his girl should come back to him instead of vice versa. In other words, the conclusive sentiment is that if she showed up, Thundercat would willingly take her back. But at the same time, it doesn’t particularly appear as if he has overcome the maturity issues which perhaps caused the breakup to begin with.

For instance, even in apologizing – or whatever it is he’s doing here – ‘Cat notes that he “live(s) in L.A.” within the context of implying that accordingly, there are other things more important to him than being romantically sensitive. 

Furthermore, it’s also apparent that he’s using the opportunity to mock his ex, along the lines of inferring that whereas he does miss her, he’s doing good nonetheless, even to the point of closing out his confession with laughter. So ultimately, this piece reads like sort of a half-hearted romantic apology.

Is this the first collaboration between Tame Impala and Thundercat?

Yes. According to Thundercat’s Stephen Bruner, he had always wanted to work with Kevin Parker since the first album of Tame Impala came out. The collaboration was therefore something that brought him immense joy.