Tyler, the Creator fans have become accustomed to a bi-yearly album release schedule, with his first major album “Goblin” released in 2011 and “Wolf” released in 2013. This pattern continued all the way to “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST,” his most recent album, released in 2021.
Since then, fans have been on the edge of their seats.
Due to the success of “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST,” Tyler’s highly anticipated eighth studio album has been subject to many expectations, including the famed “Frank Ocean feature” rumor. While Frank Ocean was — in fact — not featured in the album, I still have plenty to say.
The album opens with a standout track, “St. Chroma.” The song includes hushed proclamations that he’ll “make it out,” towards the beginning, and later morphs into euphonious harmonies, questioning the listener if they “feel the light inside?” Daniel Caesar’s backing vocals made the track all the more beautiful, and solidified it as one of my favorite songs on the album.
“Noid,” the third track on “CHROMAKOPIA,” makes for an excellent introduction into the more serious topics discussed in the album. Tyler’s anger surrounding creepy fan interactions has been addressed on past songs such as “Colossus,” but “Noid” focuses on the vulnerability and paranoia these situations foster.
Tyler returns to the stylistic roots of “Flower Boy” and “IGOR” with the album’s fourth track “Darling, I” and its tenth track “Tomorrow.” “Darling, I,” decorated with synth beats and a high pitched melody, features lyrics that question Tyler’s desire for a monogamous relationship, a topic that has been classic in his past albums.
His seventh track “Judge Judy” addresses his most recent public relationship with model, Reign Judge. The track references lyrics from “DOGTOOTH” another song he wrote while they were dating.
I found track 12, “Like Him,” to be the most powerful in terms of storytelling. “Like Him” rehashes Tyler’s emotionally complex relationship with his father.
In his studio album “Wolf” he passionately addresses his resentment towards looking like his absent father in the song “Answer.”
In “Like Him” Tyler begins by including a clip of his mother remarking how he shares his father’s features — feet, long arms and fingers. As the song progresses, he remarks that he is chasing a ghost and questions if he looks like his father. The song ends heart-wrenchingly, with Tyler’s mother stating that his father wanted to be a father,claiming his lack of a presence was her fault.
I thought this album was not only excellent in production value, but revealed an incredibly vulnerable and adult side to Tyler. In past albums, he seems to cope with serious topics using humor — which still makes for effective storytelling. However, throughout “CHROMAKOPIA,” I felt like I was listening to a more aged, honest version of him.
Nothing felt lazy.
I often find that when artists discover a formula for creating fan favorites, they rely on it too much, leading to uninspired, carbon copies of their hits. While I wasn’t a personal fan of tracks like “Sticky” and “Thought I Was Dead,” I appreciated the obvious exploration outside of his comfort zone.
Overall, I’d say if you were expecting the return of the Sir Baudelaire, Igor or even Wolf Haley characters, you’re in for a surprise — what you’ll receive is so much better.
