Following only a week and a half of teasers, Tyler, the Creator officially released his seventh studio album, “CHROMAKOPIA,” on Monday, Oct. 28. The album, like many of Tyler’s previous albums, tells a story in which he integrates ideas of personal growth, insecurity and self-discovery. The tracks explore the artist’s experiences in his thirties, reflect on his past accomplishments and convey the paranoia that coincides with fame.
It is a really interesting album with a very unique aesthetic and some enjoyable songs. However, in the end, Tyler struggles to write anything topping his previous hit albums, such as “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” and “IGOR.”
CHROMAKOPIA–likely a play on the word cornucopia, meant to represent the overflowing abundance of sound and color–begins with a track called “St. Chroma.” This song introduces the album and its concepts as Tyler whispers about his upbringing, while offering a catchy chorus sung with Daniel Caesar. The layering of the song’s vocal harmonies and piano gives it a nice sound, making it a really enjoyable tune. The song was the first teaser for the new album and one of its most popular tracks so far.
The newest single of the album, “Noid,” is a glimpse into Tyler’s darker perspective of fame. On the track, he describes the paranoia and fear he has regarding his lovers and fans. He sings, “I got a cannon underneath the bed / Triple checkin’ if I locked the door / I know every creak that’s in the floor,” recounting the precautions he takes when dealing with fans.
This single’s narrative brings out a depiction of Tyler that is more confrontational with his audience, potentially serving as a taste of nostalgia for listeners of his earlier albums, such as “Goblin.”
Tyler makes sure to address another staple idea of the album with songs like “Darling, I” and “Hey Jane.” These songs discuss concepts of relationships and love, while still incorporating ideas of fear. The former describes Tyler’s fear of commitment to a monogamous relationship.
The artist sings, “Ooh, they wanna tie me down, that bondage might just break / I can’t sign the dotted line / Just how long is forever? (It’s too, too long),” showing that he does not feel like his relationships last long enough for him to be devoted to them, and that “forever” relationships do not seem feasible. The beat of this track is very fun and has a similar sound to older R&B tunes, but the catchy chorus really brings home the central concepts.
The latter song, “Hey Jane,” describes a different aspect of Tyler’s relationships: pregnancy. This song’s idea stands out compared to others of the album, but it ties in as the artist describes again how he is nervous about commitment. He conveys this as he sings, “Ain’t in the space to raise no g**n child / Hey, Jane, I’m terrified, petrified / I don’t wanna give my freedom up, or sanitize it.”
If fans want more “Goblin”-like songs, Tyler delivers with tracks like “Sticky” and “Thought I Was Dead.” The former proves to be an explosion of sound and a really exciting track, with features like Glorilla, Sexyy Redd and Lil Wayne. The latter once again brings up a more confrontational depiction of the artist and details how he manages his fame.
One last stand out song from the album is “Take Your Mask Off.” This track has such an interesting synthy sound and is reminiscent of the older hip hop scene. It touches on being yourself and not pretending to be anything else for anyone.
Tyler’s mom, Bonita Smith, sings, “Keep that s**t one hundred with you, with yourself / You don’t have to put on no costume / You don’t ever have to lie to kick it,” during the interlude, further expanding on this idea. Tyler uses several examples of people masking who they really are and, ultimately, describes himself as an example in the end.
Overall, while this album has some great tunes and meaningful songs, it lacks the structured storytelling and themes Tyler is best known for. “CHROMAKOPIA” is much more reminiscent of the artist’s older music, but he is not regressing. It is possible that this album may be the start of a new era for Tyler, and that it was just one of many more hits to come.
