After the major commercial success of his fifth studio album Flower Boy, Tyler, the Creator has come back with more emotion and meaning this time around. Fans waited two years for him to release new music, and the outcome was well worth the wait.
Ever since the release of Tyler, the Creator’s Flower Boy, people no longer saw Tyler as a provocative artist who would rap to anger the masses. Now, he was a figure of creativity that people were yearning to hear more from.
And then came IGOR.
His new album IGOR holds twelve songs, all conveying a story line of love, obsession, and heartbreak, which all begins with being dependent on someone in the song “EARFQUAKE.” Throughout the album, the juxtaposition of his upbeat rhythm yet emotional lyrics catapulted this album to its number one spot on the billboard charts right out the gates.
The structure is messy at a surface-level listening to what many describe as a mixtape. However, a more in depth analysis of the lyrics and flow of the story reveals just how confused Tyler feels in his experience of love. That’s what makes this album so incredible— it’s relatable in the emotion that it conveys so effortlessly.
Besides the emotions that Tyler delves into, he also plays around with his own vocals. Although he usually opts for other talented artists to sing the chorus in his songs, Tyler has put himself at the foreground of his work this time around.
“That’s why I don’t always try to get people to sing,” said Tyler at his Apple Music concert for IGOR. “I’ll sing because someone else can’t really sing my truth and what I’m trying to say.”
Throughout IGOR, Tyler’s mood changes as the obsession and love he has for his partner is not reciprocated. “A BOY IS A GUN” expresses Tyler coming to his senses, which is followed up by not being able to let go in “PUPPET” and being upset about the entire situation in “WHAT’S GOOD.”
In Flower Boy, Tyler had hinted at his sexuality, which came as a shock since he has a track history with homophobic tweets. On IGOR, Tyler not only references gay romantic drama movie Call Me By Your Name in “I THINK,” but it is also speculated that “RUNNING OUT OF TIME” is about Tyler being with a male who is not comfortable with being openly gay.
After going back and forth with his emotions and love for his partner, Tyler faces acceptance in “GONE, GONE/ THANK YOU,” which is a joint song about falling out of love and being too scared to love again.
Although Tyler is over his partner in “I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE,” he still finds himself attached to the person who wronged him. All that Tyler has been through ends with him not being able to say goodbye in the track “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?.”
A month after the release of this highly acclaimed masterpiece, fans have been able to analyze the unique style that Tyler presents on this album. As he continues to push the boundaries of music and reveal more of himself, there is no telling what Tyler may create next.
If it’s anything like IGOR, it will surely make waves in the music industry.
