Stuck on Repeat: IGOR by Tyler, the Creator
Tyler has come a long way from his Odd Future days… ahh, 2011. One Direction had made their debut with “What Makes You Beautiful” and it played on every radio station, Tumblr consumed our everyday lives and “grunge” fantasies, and OFWGKTA was written all over our school’s bathroom stalls. Don’t ‘cha miss it?
Tyler, the Creator’s new album, IGOR, dropped on May 17 and had the internet going wild in an instant. IGOR is a follow-up to his 2017 Grammy-nominated masterpiece, Flower Boy. As someone who listened to Flower Boy non stop once it released, it is clear to see how IGOR is simply an extension to the previous album. Soulful vocals with contrasting melodies, repeated piano chords with quick cut-offs, and recognizable featured artists are evident in both albums. However, IGOR is not a rap album. If anything, it is an album that allowed Tyler to express his creativeness, innovativeness, and vulnerability we hadn’t seen much of before.
As someone who listened to Odd Future growing up and tuned-in on a few of Tyler’s previous hit singles such as, “Yonkers,” and “Sandwitches,” being able to see him bloom into a mature and experimental artist is very exciting as a listener. We do see his rough and harsh Odd Future roots played into the song, “WHAT’S GOOD,” but it’s also apparent to hear the other artists’ influences on this album as well. Here is the tracklist including the featured artists:
1. IGOR'S THEME ft. Lil Uzi Vert & Kali Uchis
2. EARFQUAKE ft. Charlie Wilson, Devonté Hynes, & Playboi Carti
3. I THINK ft. Solange & Kali Uchis
4. EXACTLY WHAT YOU RUN FROM YOU END UP CHASING ft. Jerrod Charmichael
5. RUNNING OUT OF TIME ft. Frank Ocean
6. NEW MAGIC WAND ft. ScHoolboy Q, Jerrod Carmichael, A$AP Rocky & Santigold
7. A BOY IS A GUN
8. PUPPET ft. Kanye West
9. WHAT'S GOOD
10. GONE, GONE / THANK YOU ft. Mild High Club & King Krule
11. I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE ft. Solange
12. ARE WE STILL FRIENDS ft. Pharrell Williams
Tyler’s music continues to take us on a journey into his world through poetry, his purpose of conversational tracks sprinkled throughout the album, and even the vivid color choices of his cover art. I don’t want to give too many specifics on what I enjoyed about the album so that you could enjoy it the way Tyler wanted you to; listen to it fully, completely, and take your time with it. Find what inspires you, what you do and don’t like, and what intrigues you. So go have a listen, “sponge it all up,” and enjoy.
