Call Me If You Get Lost — Home

After the release of his two most recent albums Flower Boy and IGOR, fans and critics wondered which direction Tyler, The Creator would take his music next. The critical acclaim and mainstream recognition that these projects received were bittersweet for Tyler, as his genius was finally being acknowledged but the pressure was mounting for his next project to deliver. Artists who are able to consistently raise their own standards while exploring new sounds should be praised, and that is exactly what Tyler does on Call Me If You Get Lost. Each of his projects has a unique aesthetic, rollout, and mood, giving listeners a unique experience every time a new album is released. Just as expected, this newest project is quite an experience.

Tyler has mastered the art of the album rollout. Often announcing new projects just weeks out from their release date, he is able to immediately establish the album’s aesthetic and vibe for fans to analyze. The lead singles “LUMBERJACK” and “WUSYANAME” were great selections, as they capture the essence of the album without showing the best that it has to offer prematurely. The artsy era of Flower Boy transformed into the mysterious and alter ego defined IGOR, and now Tyler has come full circle with essentially a matured version of what put him in the first place, sprinkled with the personalized motifs and sounds that he has created.

The album implements skits, features, and shorter transitional tracks well to bridge bangers together. The album isn’t as cohesive of an experience as an IGOR, but it didn’t set out to be; instead, Call Me If You Get Lost is a traditional rap and hip-hop project that allows Tyler to return to spitting bar after bar as he did in the Cherry Bomb and Wolf days. We see this right away with tracks like “CORSO” and “LEMONHEAD”, which incorporate noisy and industrial-type beats that complement Tyler’s delivery perfectly.

The album isn’t top-heavy, either, with the tracks toward the middle delivering just as much as the openers. Lil Wayne’s feature on “HOT WIND BLOWS” is one of his best in years, Tyler absolutely snaps on “MASSA”, and intricate lyrical schemes are found all throughout “RUNITUP”. For fans more interested in the longer, episodic tracks that Tyler has gotten so good at writing in recent years, “SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE” absolutely delivers. Somehow, this track feels familiar and brand new at the same time.

“RISE!” and “BLESSED” are solid tracks, but feel unnecessary for an album that could have been refined to create a complete experience as IGOR did. The closing, tracks, however, make up in some part for these shortcomings. “JUGGERNAUT” features incredible industrial production from Pharrell Williams, who absolutely blesses Tyler here. “WILSHIRE” is a compelling story, and its 8:35 runtime goes by in a flash. “SAFARI” is a strong final track that lets Tyler go harder than he has on previous closers.

Overall, Tyler yet again delivers the project that I didn’t know I wanted from him. While less cohesive and experimental than IGOR, Call Me If You Get Lost is a unique and well-executed rap album that sees Tyler continuing to mature artistically and musically. This will be on a heavy rotation for the summer. What did you think of this project?

Favorite Tracks: “CORSO”, ““LEMONHEAD”, “WUSYANAME”, “LUMBERJACK”, “HOT WIND BLOWS”, “MASSA”, “RUNITUP”, “SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE”, “JUGGERNAUT”, “WILSHIRE”, “SAFARI”

SCORE: 8/10