Tyler, the Creator is in love again, and despite not everything going swimmingly on that front, it is a boon for his fanbase, since that means new album time. CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST explores love, as Tyler is truly a romantic, but it also delves into so much of what makes Tyler a prolific artist, and entertaining person.
The opener, “SIR BAUDELAIRE” introduces the listener to the persona that Tyler is under for this 7th studio album. The beat is sampled from Westside Gunn’s track “Michael Irvin”, and it serves as a near lo-fi soft open for a record. This is also the first instance of DJ Drama’s narration, which ends up being add to most songs on the project. It has been a point of contention for hip hop fans, and personally, I thought it added to the overall experience for my first couple listens, but after being well acquainted with the album, I find myself wishing that the actual musical elements were given to us in a more streamlined fashion.
“CORSO” ramps up the energy with three great verses. All three are multilayered with hard hitting drums and vibrant samples. The piano keys utilized start pretty lowkey in verse one, but became more hurried as the track progresses, and the synthesized accents become more aggressive as well. Tyler fits a lot in the tight 2m30s run time, and lyrically, Tyler is braggadocios, transparent and clever. Both aspects are common occurrences from here on out.
“WUSYANAME” was single #2 for the album rollout. It is short and sweet, and perfectly encapsulates how Tyler would try to pick up your girl if he wanted to. And that is, starting with “you look malnourished.” Tyler’s ability to turn this pseudo pick-up line into a full-fledged seduction anthem is hilarious and effective. Musically, it’s smooth. And this is amplified by a tasteful Ty Dolla $ign feature where he provides soothing backing vocals, as well as a short verse that feels right in place.
Following that is what was our first taste of CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST in single “LUMBERJACK”. The beat is aggressive in a way that is new for the project. And while it’s not necessarily a favorite of mine, it follows suit in the album so far of having tracks be short, but chock full of quality.
What is a favorite is the next track, “HOT WIND BLOWS (feat. Lil Wayne)”. The woodwind focused intro dances beautifully with the chaotic keys and ethereal vocal samples. Lil Wayne’s verse impressed me greatly, as it feels like him at his best, with an inflection that is fairly unique with respect to his recent outputs. The song is a great listen, and I should mention that DJ Drama gets me closer and closer to buying a boat with each listen of it.
“RUNITUP” starts with Tyler speaking on his childhood and confidence in the background. This is a clue as to how the track is different from any before and after it. There are varying elements that are new, such as the focus on horns, as well as continuously repeated vocal sample of “we gon’ run it up.” Furthermore, Tyler just has one rap verse where most songs have had 3 or 4. These elements give the song a fresh feel, but it also impresses since all of it is put together meticulously for a new soundscape that still fits within the album’s themes.
“MANIFESTO” excites me each time I listen to it. There’s so much to unpack, with Tyler calling out blind faith, racism, cancel culture, homophobia, and what it means to him to be a black man. A feature by Domo Genesis adds to these topics and his voice within his verse is a nice contrast to Tyler’s. The beat is hard hitting and the almost chorus-like vocal sample is a nice touch. One lyrical chop I must bring attention to is:
“I was a teener, tweetin’ Selena crazy shit
Didn’t wanna offend her, apologize when I seen her
Back when I was tryna fuck Bieber, Just-in
I say with my chest out, you say with your chest in”
I love the absurdity of this topic in general, but Tyler using Justin Bieber’s name as his name itself, plus the play-on-words of “just-in” like a news flash is clever. Moreover, Tyler being unabashedly queer is also something I find myself cheering at since his pride is palpable.
Next is a sort of climax for the album. The double track of “SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE” is an impressive musical feat. The first part is aptly named, as its main sentiment is the serenading of Tyler’s love, though in a subdued fashion. Tyler’s normal vocals, altered vocals, and assist by Brent Faiyaz produces a beautiful mixture for this song to live in. One of my favorite moments is the sampling of a synth from Igor’s “THANK YOU”. Then, with the aid of a strong reggae influence, it transitions into the latter track. This half is the more emotional half, I think, with more of a desperate plea in Tyler’s voice and a more abstract message than calling someone sweet. It’s capped off by a rap verse, then beautiful group vocals to end the song entirely as one of the better moments on the album as a whole. The best thing I can say about this 10-minute arrangement is that it is not boring for a moment.
“RISE” keeps up the consistency, albeit at a faster pace. The bass driven beat has an almost airy sound to them with a “swoosh” accenting the end of the beats. It really makes the song pop. Daisy World is a wonderful addition to the song and Tyler’s rapping on this one is as good as any point on the album. His second verse in particularly has a sense of urgency and pride on a different level.
“JUGGERNAUT” is noteworthy in how different it is from the rest of the album. Stripped back are the pretty synths and instruments for a beat that is almost house. Both Pharrel Williams and Lil Uzi Vert put together stellar verses, and the energy is off the charts for the entire track.
“WILSHIRE” is entirely different, so whiplash is understandable. But it doesn’t take long for both Tyler and the relaxing beat to lull one into his story. This is the most transparent Tyler is on an album that has largely been so anyway. He goes into detail about his dealings with a woman and the song is very effective in telling a clear story. The instrumental is looped throughout the entire 8+ minutes, but it does not get stale. That is, except for the crackling sound that seems to persist. It’s less vinyl scratch, which would be nice, and more so an unintentional error. Regardless, the track is peaceful and engaging.
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST is a work of art, which cannot be said for many albums. The track listing is intricately crafted with a variety of sounds and messages within it. Tyler has cemented himself as one of the best musical artists of this generation with this album. There were some middling tracks, namely “LEMONHEAD”, “MASSA”, and the closer, “SAFARI”, but this showing is impressive, and shows that Tyler has no intention of stepping down as one of the kings of hip-hop.
8/10