Tyler, The Creator released his eighth album, “CHROMAKOPIA” on Oct. 28. The album consists of 14 songs, with a duration of 53 minutes. This is a highly anticipated album by fans, seeing as it symbolizes the artist’s new “Era.”
Throughout the duration of this album there are themes of having to grow up and become an adult. More specifically, things coming in and out of someone’s life when they’re not emotionally ready. The song, “Like Him,” which features up and coming artist, Lola Young, has recently gained popularity on TikTok. This leads to a wider audience discovering the album and possibly Lola, for the first time.
“Like Him” was a really raw and personal song, it opens with Tyler’s mom’s voice talking about his father. Tyler has known his father to be absent and has written songs like “Answer,” where he talks about the minimal contact he’s had with him, this making Tyler angry. In the beginning of “Like him” his mother explains that Tyler’s father wanted to be in his life but the mother pushed him away.
“CHROMAKOPIA” starts off with a feature from Daniel Caesar, on the song “St. Chroma.” This is one of 9 total featured artists on this album. Tyler and Caesar’s vocals blend together, creating a warm sound, which floats the listener through the song. The song is about growing in success and knowing that he was meant for something greater, and to achieve something bigger, or in other words, “make it out.”
Caesar is also featured on “Take Your Mask Off,” which talks of a man who actively pretends to be someone he is not. The album cover shows Tyler wearing a mask and reaching out his hand into the air. This could be a call back to the song itself, or possibly referencing that Tyler is hiding himself.
One of the best parts of the album is the bluntness, Tyler says what he means and doesn’t go back. This is a common theme for him throughout his discography, but hearing it in a new way is refreshing. This is different from Tyler’s previous releases, most of them being more upbeat and having characters, bright colors etc.
This album felt more raw coming from Tyler, you could tell he was singing from the heart. His worries, doubts, and more were woven into the lyrics of this album, allowing listeners to feel them in a deeper way than with his previous work.
Overall themes of aging, regret, and anxiety fill this album. This is no different in the 5th track “Hey Jane” which is about him finding out a girl he was seeing had become pregnant, and about the fear that comes from both sides. It shows the perspective of two adults who were unsure of how to move forward, not wanting to push the other into a situation they didn’t want or were ready for.
His song “Judge Judy” was the seventh track on the album, which centers around a girl and her lifestyle. In the song, he talks about how he wouldn’t judge her and how they are similar. He talks about what he likes about her and why they get along.
This song goes back and forth between Tyler’s and Judy’s perspective. At the end of a song, it’s a letter to Tyler, which thanks him for not judging her and making their last moments together enjoyable. The letter was a goodbye note, and in it she wishes him the best in life mentally and physically.
“Darling, I” features Teezo Touchdown, who was also featured on Tyler’s 2021 album, “Call Me If You Get Lost.” The song is reminiscent of a love song, but the central topic is how he keeps falling in love with different women, or rather becomes infatuated with them.
The final song on this album is “I Hope You Find Your Way Back Home.” The song is about how he isn’t ready to have a child, despite the expectations of everyone around him. He sings about his worries in reference to the time he has left to have a kid before he’s “too old” and can’t properly take care of one. The song ends with a heartfelt message from his mom, talking about how proud she is of him.
Tyler uses these 14 tracks to talk about heavy topics and executes it beautifully. He uses his bluntness and fearlessness to tell the complete story, he also finds a balance where he portrays it softly, part of this is due to the soft melodies, and slower beats in some songs. This collection of songs perfectly depicts the fear and anxiety that comes with growing up and growing around popular expectations, while being unapologetically himself.
The album was taken in well by fans of Tyler and the album went number one on Billboard’s 200 album chart within four days. “CHROMAKOPIA” has spent 2 weeks as number one, as well as charting on apple and spotify’s top 100 lists. The album was a hit lyrically and statistically, and many fans are excited to see what comes next.
