by Tyler, the Creator
Released June 25, 2021 via Columbia Records
Reviewed July 5, 2021
Top tracks (based on community voting)
SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE (54%), WUSYANAME (45%), HOT WIND BLOWS (30%)
Ascension is a product of life’s lessons, and how one’s existence unfolds is based on those lessons. But that ascension is irrelevant. How far you go only means as much as the love you’re blessed to receive from others and the love you’re willing to express along the way. The most basic things fill those cravings that you thought could’ve been quenched by climbing higher. Tyler, the Creator is at the point in his life where love can finally be afforded first place in his endeavors; this sentiment comes in the form of CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, his sixth studio release. There’s no longer a scene that’s boxed him in place, preventing him from working with absolutely anybody he wants. Plus, those that already harbor love for his work have no qualms in returning for another appearance. Especially for a beloved homie like T. A facade has always been attached to his brash personality. His true feelings always seem to toe the line between the shade and the sunlight, but on CMIYGL, they’ve seemed to enjoy life outside the shadows. Stamping a passport, sun-seeking, and exploring all seem like a waste of time without them. The one most beloved. So call them if you wanna get lost together. – Ben (Synth) (9.5/10)
One thing fans can be assured is that Tyler, The Creator has yet to short them of anything other than maximum effort and creativity. As Tyler immortalizes yet another alternative persona, the well-traveled and Tenenbaum-ish Tyler Baudelaire, he illustrates his desires to live extravagantly and travel the world via plane, train, or automobile. CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST continues the perpetual trend of Tyler studio albums that outdo their immediate predecessor in the scope of ambition, often expanding the discography while still resembling it. Particularly since the days of 2013's Wolf, each successive record has seemingly tested Tyler's creative limits and pushed them to new heights. CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST is no exception to that trend. – DeVán (8.5/10)
“Rap is lost,” the average 90s hip-hop fan laments. “It’s all mumbling autotuned trash. Style without substance.” I’ve never really agreed with this take, but with the commercialisation and subsequent over-saturation of trap music, I guess there’s some validity in there. Trap artists have notoriously intrigued but quickly faded, while others have disappointed right out of the gate. Regardless, some of trap’s most prominent faces – 42 Dugg, Lil Uzi Vert, Youngboy NBA, among others – feature on Tyler, the Creator’s exquisite sixth studio album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. They partake in T’s wide array of sample-laden instrumentals, covering soul, jazz, hip-hop, and pop. Rarely aided by co-production, Tyler crafts luxurious mansions with garden pools and marble walls, bragging about indulging in them, starkly contrasting his critiques of materialism on previous LPs. Under the direction of Tyler Baudelaire the vocal features assume a greater earnestness, adding a flavour to alternative hip-hop previously untasted. Personally, it’s not quite up to par with IGOR, but at the same time, it’s hard to debate that Tyler is in the midst of a long-enduring creative peak. – Cam (8.3/10)
Tyler's sixth studio album bridges the gap between Flower Boy and IGOR, serving as a halfway house, fluent in ubiquitous qualities. Slightly all over the place and messy, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST shows Tyler at his most creative, but maybe not his most focused. Enter Tyler's musical madhouse: Varicoloured feelings and emotions sweep and swell through CMIYGL, rendering it ever-presently on the point of collapse. Embodying a kaleidoscope of musicality, it's a miracle that the album flows in the manner that it does; an ebb and flow near flawless from start to finish. This album has its setbacks, like anything that pushes things to creative extremes. It can feel too long, although it's only 50 minutes in length. Tracks can come and go without any real impact. This is most definitely the third chapter in Tyler's more mature contemporary offerings, just slightly behind in execution and cohesion. It feels like a mashup of each and every turn in Tyler's career to date—fertile to no end. – Peter (8/10)
Ben (Synth): 9.5/10 | Dominick: 9/10 | Jared: 9/10 | Pax: 8.6/10
Alan: 8.5/10 | Daniel: 8.5/10 | DeVán: 8.5/10 | Enth: 8.5/10
Hadley: 8.5/10 | Cam: 8.3/10 | Peter: 8/10 | Victoria: 7.8/10
