Tyler, the Creator’s sixth studio album, Call Me If You Get Lost is not his most accomplished work. It’s not his most well thought out project. Its storyline gets a little hazy at certain moments. Yet, Tyler seems like he has grown up a little bit. Tyler is still lost and confused, but now he is apologetic and matured.
CMIYGL follows similar themes as Grammy-winning IGOR. Songs of love and lust sprinkle the tracklist. Also littered with jokes and full of social justice statements, Tyler has thrown it all at the wall - something he has not done for a while. Assisted by DJ Drama, Tyler has created an album that blends a mosh pit of ideas just well enough to have a good time.
So many times on this album, Tyler just had a good time. He flexes his wealth, smiles through his lines and talks of traveling. Quite literally the concept for the album, traveling moves the scenes along. There is a scene of true confidence in “RunItUp” to some apologies for past remarks on “Manifesto.” This duality is further displayed on the ten-minute dual-track masterpiece “Sweet / I Thought You Wanted To Dance.” He fawns over a girl in the first half, and she cannot bring herself to reciprocate in the second half.
As any fan knows, Tyler does not hold back very often - in fact, he almost always says too much. Yet, as the album culminates to the end the hazy story becomes a little bit more clear. “Wilshire,” the second-to-last track, is hinted throughout the rest of the album. Recorded in a single take, the track tells the tale of Tyler falling for his friend’s girl.
Correcting himself and jumbling words, Tyler is no longer confident or even giving apologies. He takes eight long minutes to finish his story, but you are left with mountains of questions. Maybe this is his way of proving he still cares. Or, better yet, maybe this is his way of telling the world he is not as open as he led us on to believe.
No matter the reason for his restraint, Tyler still manages to hold you captive. “Wilshire” is truly intoxicating and addictive. The details he does give us paint just enough of a picture of his story; and when he’s vague, it makes the song too relatable for comfort.
CMIYGL is beautifully produced, which makes the words slip between the ears. It leads you to think - just a little bit. Tyler, the Creator made a true summer record.