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Expanding on the artistic quirkiness of its predecessor, IGOR is a weird, heartfelt masterclass in production. Tyler’s verses are few and far between, but his presence still shines across all twelve tracks.
Before I review Tyler, The Creator’s fifth studio album, I want to make a quick disclaimer for transparency’s sake.
I am a huge fan of his previous work, as well as Odd Future and all of its members. This weekend I attempted to see him at a surprise London show in Peckham which wound up being cancelled, and I have a poster of his on my bedroom wall.
To say I’m a little biased may be an understatement.
A new era for Tyler
My own intense favouritism aside, this new release is a welcome addition to an already strong discography.
IGOR shows off extraordinary skill and artistic growth and anyone already familiar with Tyler will immediately recognise the trademark, left-field weirdness, layered beats, and slightly off-key synths.
But despite some stylistic similarities to previous albums, Tyler has, for the most part, kept his gravelly voice away from the spotlight, smothering his vocals in pitch-altering effects and filters. There’s very little rap to get suck into here and you’ll be hearing a lot more singing than you might expect.
This album is a more abstract and looser Flower Boy, with top quality instrumentation being the firm focus throughout.
An album of subtle honesty
On the one hand, the themes of IGOR are not immediately intrusive – it’s easy to listen to the entire project without feeling too engulfed in lyricism or intensity. On the other, IGOR is not afraid to be earnest and emotive, its saddest moments often cropping up when Tyler indulges in self-reflection and eventual acceptance for the situations he finds himself in.
Amongst the twelve tracks on offer, Tyler begs for an unnamed partner to stay with him, later becoming frustrated, and then finally concluding that he’s at peace with their absence. This is essentially a break-up album.
Where Flower Boy often featured dense verses of lament and loneliness, IGOR instead keeps its narratives more hidden. That’s not to say they’re not there, because they are – you just may not immediately pick up on them through the first few listens. I often found myself paying more attention to the gorgeous layering of each track, so much so that I heard an entire Kanye feature on the track ‘PUPPET’ without realising.
Tyler also hides himself away in many of the visuals for this album. The video for ‘EARFQUAKE’ (I’m not an awful speller, that is just the way the title is written, I promise) sees him wearing a blonde wig and sunglasses, before this mask is eventually burnt away in a chaotic fire.
