Tyler, The Creator’s “CHROMAKOPIA” was released on Oct. 28, ultimately breaking his two year project release window on odd numbered years. The album was first teased on Oct. 16 with an Instagram video post titled “st. chroma.”
On Oct. 21, Tyler released a single from the album on Instagram. The track, “Noid”, dives into the normalization of stalking and obsession of celebrities. He even states directly in the song, “Living between cameras and recorders, ah, yeah I want peace but can’t afford ya, no.”
Five days later, on Oct. 26, two days before the album was set to release, Tyler then dropped a teaser of two songs; “I Thought I Was Dead” with another Instagram post and “Tomorrow” on the official Chromokopia TikTok page.
As a long time Tyler, The Creator fan, I can tell that he has grown from the personas he has played in past albums, to telling meaningful stories in each song. His mother, Bonita Smith gives Tyler advice throughout each set, stating at the beginning of the first track, as well as one of the few songs teased on his Instagram, “St. Chroma,” “You are the light. It’s not on you, it’s in you. Don’t you ever in your motherf**king life dim your light for nobody.”
Tyler continued to address far deeper issues within the album.”Like Him,” featuring Lola Young, is undoubtedly one of the best and most emotional tracks on the album, conveying the image of living without a father. During verse three, Tyler sings “Mama, I’m chasin’ a ghost I don’t know who he is. Mama, I’m chasin’ a ghost, I don’t know where he is. Mama, I’m chasin’ a ghost, Do I look like him?” This is reminiscent of “Answer” from Tyler’s 2013 album “Wolf” where, despite his resentment, he wishes to know more about his dad.
Throughout “CHROMAKOPIA,” Tyler goes through many stages of emotions and tone, from hard hitting songs in the first three tracks, “St. Chroma,” “Rah Tah Tah” and “Noid” to somber songs like “Darling, I,” “Like Him” and “I Hope You Find Your Way Home.” Tyler’s discography is easily one of the best in the music industry right now, the entirety of his new album showing just that. Some of my fan favorites are “Sticky,” “Like Him” and “I Hope You Find Your Way Home.”
Although this album is great, it does lack some of the excitement that was brought with his 2019 album “Igor.” Some of the songs featured do sound similar and others just do not give the energy he usually brings to the table. However, the emotional impact and meaning of many songs on it makes the album a solid 8.5/10 for me.
