Following the release of Tyler, the Creator’s sixth studio album, “Call Me If You Get Lost,” in 2021, fans eagerly waited through his usual two-year break between albums. On the morning of Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, his seventh studio album, “Chromakopia,” was released.
“Chromakopia” explores themes such as identity, maturity, fame and more hard-hitting topics. The album almost feels like a testament to Tyler’s body of work, featuring significant musical experimentation while still allowing his signature style to shine through, giving the album more creative fluidity.
However, no matter the listener’s opinion, Tyler’s ability to weave his emotions through and through in the lyrical webs of each song is a definite strong suit.
Tyler’s songs have always had a strong connection to his emotions, and this album is no exception. His vulnerability is put on display during songs such as “Like Him,” “Take Your Mask Off” and “Hey, Jane.” These three tracks are distinctly different from any of the others on the record. “Like Him” revisits Tyler’s estrangement from his biological father, which gives the listener and any long-term fan of Tyler’s a big revelation: his father did truly want to care for him. “Take Your Mask Off” dives into forced masculinity and societal norms, hiding one’s true self from the world and putting up a facade instead. “Hey, Jane” is a much harder song to break down and approaches the topic of having an unexpected pregnancy along with the fear of parenthood.
Songs like “Noid” delve into shady depths that revolve around his fame. “Noid,” a shortened version of the word paranoid, showcases the things that come along with being famous, successful, loved and wealthy, but at the expense of feeling isolated, surrounded by the eyes of the public and “paranoid.” Similarly to “Like Him,” this track offers the same implied distrust, but this time towards everyone around him, including the same people who brought him to where he is.
Musically, “Chromakopia” harbours a mix of musical sounds. Contrary to the various dark themes of the album, tracks like “St. Chroma,” “Sticky” and “Thought I Was Dead” brings the album a more high-spirited, even marching band feel.
Instruments ranging from groups like percussion, horns, guitar and bass were all featured throughout the record. Tyler’s most prominent style throughout his career mostly pushes through in these songs, reminding any fan of his past records.
Just four days after the release of “Chromakopia,” it had reached number one on the Billboard 100, according to Rolling Stone. Overall, Chromakopia was not the usual Tyler, the Creator album and is very different from his past records.
Despite the difficult topics scattered thro
ughout, the emotions buried within the lyrics, along with the experimentation with new sounds, show the musical growth in his career, as well as his own personal growth.
