The new album ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ is a mixed bag of jazz-infused eclectic compositions interlaced with synth-pop wild waves produced by Tyler, the Creator.
Billie Eilish was forced to apologize earlier this week after an eight-year-old video of the singer appeared, showing her mouthing along to a racist slur in Tyler, the Creator‘s Fish, in a line about date rape. Tyler, the Creator has established himself as a celebrated, longtime figure in hip-hop and beyond, and the artist of a string of Top 10 albums, the most recent of which – 2019’s Igor – earned a Grammy and got to No. 1 in the US. In an old interview, when he wasn’t engrossed with the razzle-dazzle of the spotlight, he said, “Doing what I’m doing” is the mantra that keeps his music fresh and ahead of his time. The interview turned out to entail doing the right thing off as he expected from his visceral notions, such as gradually reducing the more contentious aspects of his style without giving up his unconventional edge, adding lightness and thoughtfulness to his fairness and vulnerability, imperiously trying to shift his sound indiscriminately, and singing about his experimental sides. His new album ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ is out on Spotify this month and his rock-ribbed fans couldn’t get happier.
When digital streaming platforms like Spotify made it easy to profit from web releases as long as the musician or label owned the rights to what was published, the term “mixtape” became a sardonic term to denote which rap albums should be treated more professionally than others. ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’, Tyler, the Creator’s sixth or seventh album, depending on whether you count 2009’s Bastard, advocates for the mixtape as an expressive practice, rather than a neat bit of technocrat maneuver. It’s a brilliant decision, wistful but snarky, and it plays to his skills perfectly: It gives him the freedom to experiment with tone, to write for himself, or to utilize his booming voice as a layer, and to approach the material as he sees fit.
The album has 16 hip-hop and experimental tracks that have become the mainstay in the American hip-hop culture since its release. In many ways, the tune harkens back to the 1990s, with the chorus of the sensitive lyrics sung by the artist, creating a sense of oneness that has been missing from much of the internet era. Meanwhile, you get a taste of melody, a beautifully uplifting and pleasant groove, and a good reminder of Tyler, the Creator’s abilities as a performer and writer; all of which amazes and fascinates the listener throughout. This track ‘SAFARI’ has an addicting appeal to it, fusing many colors and flashes of character with unwavering enthusiasm and evident love for the art form. The individual sections of the album allow it to keep your focus and even admiration all the way to the conclusion. When it’s over, you can’t help but go back to the beginning. A revitalizing and classically skilled piece of Hip Hop that rightly reignites the genre’s initial strength and passion. This side of the summer, it’s definitely worth a few thousand streams. Get the full album on Spotify right now.
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