This summer has been bursting at the seams with new music, and last Friday had one of the biggest drops we have seen yet. Artists are gearing up for post-COVID tours and festivals, after having a year with nothing to do but write. We were blessed last week with drops from Doja Cat, Chase Atlantic, Yung Gravy, and most importantly: Tyler, The Creator.
Tyler’s latest album came as a bit of a surprise for everyone, considering the near silence from him since the drop of Igor back in 2019. Then suddenly on June 16, he dropped his single ‘Lumberjack’ and flipped his fan’s worlds upside down. Lumberjack was just a taste of what this new album would be, but it was enough to keep us on the edge of our seats for an album announcement.
Then it came, the album ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ released last week, and it may be his best one yet. I know that is a big thing to say, especially about an artist like Tyler who has genuinely never missed on an album. But it’s true, and this is coming from a ‘Cherry Bomb’ fanatic. This album gives us something new, but incredibly familiar at the same time. Mimicking older tracks with his signature style but warping it into something completely different and, honestly, amazing.
I’ll get into my favorite tracks in just a bit, and the monster that was the song ‘Wilshire’, but first I want to talk about the features on this album. Tyler featured artists like Lil Wayne, Pharrell Williams, Brent Faiyaz, and more. A lot of people were taken by surprise by not only how many features there are, but how good they are. My personal favorite is ‘Manifesto (Feat. Domo Genesis)’. I had no clue (and honestly still don’t) who this guy was, but his verse on this song is phenomenal and adds that extra bit I didn’t realize it needed. The same goes for all the features, with a special shoutout to ‘Juggernaut (Feat. Lil Uzi & Pharrell Williams)’, that song is absolutely insane.
Picking a favorite song would be hard, I find that it changes with each listen-through of the album. I have been able to slim it down to just a few though, and those are Manifesto, Wusyaname, and Juggernaut. This album gave us something entirely new and intense, with the same strokes of familiarity throughout. It was destined to be a fan favorite.
One last thing. Let’s discuss ‘Wilshire’. Honestly, I just want to know if Tyler is okay. An 8-minute track about heartbreak; no features, no instrumental breaks, no sidebars, just an 8-minute poem. The song was beautiful, no doubt, but it showed a certain vulnerability and emotion we have never seen from Tyler that I absolutely adored.
If you are looking for a good starter for Tyler, The Creator, or an album to blast while driving 60 mph down the road, this album is it. With hints of past albums (Igor and Cherry Bomb most evident) it is one of his best yet and promises many awards and broken records down the line. If there is anything Tyler does best, it’s blow us away with his never ending talent and new ideas. Okay now I’m going to go blast ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ and attempt to prepare myself for hearing it live (although no amount of preparation can get me ready for that.)
