Chromakopia hit the internet out of nowhere. Normally, Tyler releases an album every odd year. When 2023 ended, I was sad that we got nothing from him. Sure, we got an expanded version of his previous album, Call Me If You Get Lost, but we all know that isn’t the same thing. Suddenly, on October 16th, we were let known that Tyler was coming out with something new and releasing it on October 28th. And now we’re here on the other side of the release date, and I’m ecstatic to write a review on it.
What surprised me about this album was that it felt, stylistically, like a bit of a throwback. Several times throughout listening I was hit with melodies, harmonies, and rhythms that were reminiscent of a handful of Tyler albums. For example, the track Darling, I felt like something straight out of Flower Boy. The track Noid felt a lot like IGOR. There’s nothing wrong with this either, it made me happy as a Tyler fan to walk down memory lane a bit.
Normally I am someone who gets wrapped up in harmony. Chromakopia did not disappoint me there, it is filled with fantastic vocal melodies and dense harmonies. But the strongest thing about this album was its themes of fear of commitment and fear of being authentic. The track Hey Jane talks about his fears of becoming a father after getting a girl pregnant. He doesn’t feel he’s ready to commit to that role yet, but in the track Tomorrow, he sees how happy people can be as parents. Would becoming a father fulfill the insecurities he feels about getting older– too old to start a family?
Because of these thoughts and additional insecurities he outlines in Take Your Mask Off, it sounds like Tyler struggles with being authentic to himself. It’s a deep album that shows a side of Tyler that I think many people struggle with. What do I want for myself? What should I be doing with myself? What genuinely makes me happy? These are questions I pondered while listening to Chromakopia, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
The album was not all emotionally heavy, there were a few rap tracks with aggressive and frantic beats that balanced things out. Overall, Chromakopia is an incredibly fun journey that hits all the stops for me as a Tyler, The Creator fan.
Best track: Darling, I
Scoring: 8.8/10