“Charming” is the word that first comes to mind when I attempt to describe the discography and musical persona of LA based artist Tyler, the Creator. There is something irresistible about his work to me. Despite the sometimes skeletal or muddy production and lyrical issues found on some of his earlier releases, Tyler’s unwavering commitment to artistry and unshakeable confidence, shine through. His early music oozes unrestrained emotion and intentional alienation, consistently bringing me back to songs and albums which I never believed I would find myself loving so much. While not every record of his can be saved by this charm, the captivity I find with his music has made his catalog one of the most fun and easy for me to return to.
“CHROMAKOPIA,” released in October, has been an impressive addition to his engrossing discography. Blending various musical influences and styles over reverberating drums, smooth soul inspired instrumentation, and eclectic psychedelic beats, Tyler delivers an especially personal and introspective narrative to “CHROMAKOPIA.” Bouncing between so many sounds, Tyler manages to concoct the perfect energy to express the emotion of each song.
The album draws upon many of the themes explored within his prior records, such as his relationship with fame, his family, and his romantic relationships. On “CHROMAKOPIA” though, Tyler navigates these emotions with the maturity that has come with his age. Like much of his music released this past decade, love remains a prominent theme throughout the album, but here we see Tyler delve upon the stress of increasing expectations of marriage for those entering their 30s. On the unbelievably catchy pop tune “Darling, I,” he introduces his inability to settle down and his hopelessly romantic attitude towards life. Immediately following this on the comparatively delicate and intimate “Hey Jane,” Tyler navigates the stress he experienced following an unplanned pregnancy and further explores his fears regarding the consuming nature of parenthood and romantic commitment.
When discussing the potentiality of this feasible child growing up with an incompetent or ever absent father, Tyler returns to his own fatherless childhood, but speaks of the possibility that he’ll repeat the cycle with the same concerned but calm attitude with which he weighs his and his partner’s other options. Throughout his career, Tyler has written several songs about his father’s lacking presence in his and his mother’s life, but when “CHROMAKOPIA” reaches “Like Him,” Tyler does so with a much less frustrated prose. Here, he navigates the increasing physical similarity he shares with his father as he ages despite the two of them lacking a significant emotional connection. Regardless of his disillusionment with his father, he finds himself unable to separate himself or his curiosity from his absent parent. At the end of the song we hear Tyler declare “I don’t look like him”, standing firm in his individuality, before his mother asks him to forgive her and his father. We see Tyler, possibly a soon to be father, finding greater comfort and confidence in his own identity, separate from that of his father’s.
“CHROMAKOPIA” displays the constant creative drive of Tyler, the Creator, seeing him reevaluating and expanding upon several themes prevalent in his past releases. It’s an incredibly danceable and catchy album, with lyrics equally hard hitting and hilarious. The record also features some of his most entertaining features to date. I struggled to find where to mention it in this review, but “Balloon”, featuring Doechii, is one of the most electrifying songs in his catalog, with the two performers having a great time passing the song back and forth on top of this super spongy beat. “CHROMAKOPIA” is a wonderful listen and has continued to captivate me since its release. I think pretty much anybody could get behind at least one song on this album, and I urge anyone reading this to give it a shot as soon as they can.
Personal Rating: 8/10
