Review: Tyler, the Creator - CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST

Rapper, singer-songwriter, and producer Tyler, the Creator drops his seventh full-length album (sixth studio record), continuing his consistent 2-year schedule. I went into this project without listening to any early tracks or other content except for the silly phone number he released for fans to call. My reasoning was that I wanted to experience CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST as a holistic entity in case its conception was on par to that of his last record IGOR. In short, I was fairly disappointed with the more subjective elements of music that Tyler came up with (lyrics, emotion, concept, etc.), so my review will focus more on the aesthetics of this rap-heavy record. Tyler’s technical skill continues to mature and age like wine as I will discuss throughout the track analyses. My first impression of this album was that it was a socially acceptable version of Cherry Bomb. The experimentation with genres and other instruments is muted, there is no conceptual theme, and Tyler reverts to some of his old, angsty motifs that are both nostalgic and just very… straight (which I guess is better than his homophobic ways from his past). Nevertheless, here are my song analyses:

SIR BAUELAIRE – Wolf Haley is back! This well-crafted introduction references his earlier days and the DJ Drama influence that are going to be big elements of this record.

CORSO – A hard-hitting rap track to start this album off strong. DJ Drama continues to narrate here almost like it’s a continued introduction. The accompanying synthesizer creativity along with pianos and strings are so meticulously executed with Tyler’s verses. Strange commentary on the word bitch at the end.

LEMONHEAD – This is what I imagine indie trap sounds like. 42 Dugg has a strong feature where his stylistic wispiness complements the blaring instrumental well. A sudden light-hearted outro interrupts the track to flow well into the next.

WUSYANAME – Bringing back the Cherry Bomb vibes of more random, momentary love songs that utilizes YoungBoy NBA surprisingly well. I love the high-pitched drone that carries the instrumental for this song. The lyrics were boring though.

LUMBERJACK – An apparent throwback to his angsty past, which is extremely nostalgic as it features Jasper from Odd Future. Everything is just technically better—the song writing, the trap-banger beat, and the production.

HOT WIND BLOWS – Motifs of Tyler flaunting his wealth begin to appear, but notably in a manner that is subtly different from most rappers (the taste of fish, traveling, etc. are mentioned). Then, I was surprised by an amazing Lil Wayne feature, imagining them together on a yacht in Switzerland just makes so much sense for some reason.

MASSA – A reference to how slaves used to call their “master.” Tyler reflects on the repression that his “bubble” caused as he started exploring the world a lot more, saying that his passport was the most valuable thing. It’s both a very genuine song of someone leaving an enclosed community after so long, but I could see the lyrics coming off as very elementary in experience in both bad or good ways.

RUNITUP – The song is introduced with Tyler talking about how his personality was always like it is now just his image is how others react to it. However, I do not know how productive or beneficial of a message it is as it can be misinterpreted, in my opinion. Nevertheless, the instrumental is one of the best on the album along with the catchy, community-esque hook.

MANIFESTO – An effective but slightly cringey short introduction about pressures he has had about being a political figure. I love the Domo Genesis feature, again, bringing the music back to his roots. The vocal-infused instrumental is also very soothing. Tyler’s political commentary in his last verse is amazingly effective and persuasive, saying that he is just not the person to be such a political figure and rather be the beneficial artist that tells black kids to do what they want. This is very related to an extremely relevant discussion in the politics of art, that the very distance between art and politics allows the audience to reap more impact on their political consciousnesses from art.

SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE – Basically, the GONE GONE / THANK YOU equivalent on this album. This two-part love ballad begins with a loud synthesizer riff that carries the instrumental. Bells, rings, and other likewise noise effects that are a Tyler, the Creator hallmark at this point are sprinkled across the song. Brent Faiyaz does most of the singing on the first part of the track. The second part spirals into a reggae song. This genre has just been commodified so much in contemporary music I do not see why Tyler wanted to use it, even if it sounds good. Perhaps it relates to his travels? Fana Hues has some great vocals in this part, though.

MOMMA TALK – A nice spoken-word interlude by Tyler’s mom that gives such genuine and humorous insight of both their personalities.

RISE! – Beautifully transitioned from the interlude, this song offers lyrical content about Tyler’s success. Not very interesting but his rapping is great along with DAISY WORLD’s singing. Their chemistry is great, and I love the contrast of their voices backed by a moving instrumental.

BLESSED – Spoken-word of Tyler being happy about his state of life. He still keeps his humor, love it.

JUGGERNAUGHT – One of Tyler’s most well-composed tracks of his career in my opinion. I love the progression between his vocals and lyrics to Lil Uzi Vert’s and then Pharrell Williams’. One of the most legendary collaborations since SMUCKERS. I absolutely loved hearing Pharrell rap. The beat is impeccably hard-hitting, and the nuances are so well catered to each person’s vocal delivery. Sirens are the focus of the instrumental that correlate to the flow of each rapper.

WILLSHIRE – A dragging but interesting song where Tyler talks in detail about falling in love with a woman that is in a committed relationship. It is very much softer Goblin vibes. The writing is very clear, so just listen to the song if you are interested in such a story.

SAFARI – Tyler ends this project with a Flower Boy-esque track that brings it all back the album’s “main theme” of travel/exploration/breaking his bubble. The rap lyrics are pretty aggressive like that of from Goblin, still using words like retarded and bragging about “eating pussy.”

My thoughts of this album definitely went up and down the more times I listened to it. I have to admit that Tyler still accomplishes the creation of a world that listeners can immerse themselves in successfully. All his albums still have very distinct sounds although they are immediately noticeable as Tyler, the Creator music. However, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST cannot even start to compare to the emotionally and conceptually charged IGOR. It is an album that clearly marks a transition stage of Tyler as he is very new to this outside world and experiences, so he focuses more on the sheer mastery of the aesthetics of his music. The project is a great refresher for his superfans that supplies plenty of artistry and personality that Tyler is known for. Now, I am extraordinarily excited to see what comes in 2023.

Favorite Tracks: JUGGERNAUGHT, MANIFESTO, and HOT WIND BLOWS

Least Favorites: BLESSED

Score: 7.9