Tyler truly got his start in 2007 quickly becoming the star of the Odd Future hip hop collective, which included many successful artists including Earl Sweatshirt and Frank Ocean. Though many Odd Future members have features on his self-released mixtape Bastard, it marked his debut as a solo artist. After his Grammy win, many fans cited a line on the opening song of the same name, in which he states, “My goal in life is a Grammy, hopefully momma will attend the ceremony with all my homies.”

However, Bastard is not an album of hopeful successes and dreams. It is seething and aggressive, with Tyler expressing self-hatred and suicidal thoughts on the opening track, as well as anger towards his absent father (“Inglorious”) and police officers (“Pigs Fly”). Additionally, there are several mentions of rape, drug abuse, racism, and homophobia on Bastard, creating a large amount of controversy around what Tyler stands for.

“On “Radicals,” he goes so far as to add a disclaimer at the beginning of the song to protect himself from anyone being influenced by the chorus’s chant of “Kill people, Burn sh*t, F*ck school.”

Goblin has many of the same hateful themes as Bastard but allows listeners to see into Tyler’s psyche that Bastard didn’t allow. The harsh beats match the lyrics while “Yonkers,” the single and accompanying music video that launched Tyler into the public eye, was actually a parody of heavy New York City beats reminiscent of the Wu-Tang Clan. In both projects, Tyler speaks to the fictional Dr. TC, a therapist who he tells his darkest thoughts to, giving him a platform for his violent lyrics. On Goblin’s final track “Golden,” it’s revealed that Dr. TC is a figment of Tyler’s subconscious.

Multiple statements in countless interviews note that lyrics from his early works do not reflect Tyler, and he’s openly argued that he’s not homophobic, racist, or sexist in any way. On “Radicals,” he goes so far as to add a disclaimer at the beginning of the song to protect himself from anyone being influenced by the chorus’s chant of “Kill people, Burn sh*t, F*ck school.” In 2015, UK Prime Minister Theresa May made the decision to ban Tyler, the Creator from entering the country under guidelines of him being a potential terroristic threat.

2013’s Wolf received more acclaim than any of his previous work, debuting at #3 on the Billboard charts. After gaining popularity through controversy, Tyler shifted away from violent thematics and heavy beats, stating in an interview that “talking about rape and cutting bodies up, it just doesn’t interest me anymore, what interests me is making weird hippie music for people to get high to.” Wolf is mellow and melodic, with songs like “IFHY,” “Colossus,” and “Slater” demonstrating a more lowkey sound.

Due to the violent and angry lyrics, many have compared Tyler’s work to someone he’s admittedly a fan of: early Eminem. Ironically, “Colossus” emphasized this comparison more than any song I’ve personally heard of Tyler’s, despite it being in his transitional period away from that type of lyricism. He’s been accused of “Colossus” being a nearly parallel story to Eminem’s “Stan.” In “Colossus,” Tyler meets a fan at an amusement park who expresses how much Tyler’s work has affected him, citing the similarities of their lives à la the protagonist voice in “Stan.” Both characters are unhealthily obsessed with their idols, going as far as using self-mutilation to prove their dedication. Despite Tyler acknowledging the parallels, he’s denied the connection between these songs, stating that “the song is just a real-life thing.”

On Cherry Bomb, Tyler frees himself from being “just a rapper”- something that he’s been straining against for basically his entire career. His production abilities go further than they ever have on his previous albums, and on songs like “2SEATER” and “FIND YOUR WINGS,” his composure and melodic beats are something that were touched on in Wolf, but Cherry Bomb feels like Tyler has finally found his passion. “DEATHCAMP” and “BUFFALO” are the only tracks that tie back into the sound fans were familiar with, while the rest is a shift towards the “new” Tyler. While critics thought his rapping was the most disappointing part of Cherry Bomb, Tyler makes it clear he’s so much more than just the angry kid everyone has always pinned him for.

With Flower Boy, he takes even more of a step back from rapping to further hone his skills as a producer. Tyler started to think more in terms of intent rather than just his own abilities and signatures, and more singing was part of this vision. This is also true for his lyrics: probably the best and most insightful in his entire discography. “Forward” and “Garden Shed” are both vulnerable, another change in direction from previous projects. In the past, he would insert a layer of separation from the larger than life personality of Tyler, the Creator by inserting disclaimers or by explicitly playing a character. Although there are many sensitive moments on this LP, he hadn’t completely lost sight of his roots- “Who Dat Boy” fully embraces the “old Tyler”, and “I Ain’t Got Time!” embraces the more stereotypical braggadocious attitude of a rapper.

Tyler had been criticized for using homophobic slurs, but since the release of Flower Boy– and arguably before that- his sexuality has been under a great deal of scrutiny. Many of the lyrics suggest romantic interest in men as well as some quotes from interviews, but it’s also difficult to parse what is authentic and what is just meant to spark controversy. As of yet, he hasn’t really officially come out.

IGOR also hints at attraction to another man, telling the story of unrequited love on top of a beautifully composed soundtrack. IGOR really takes the listener on a musical journey, bending genres and flowing perfectly. Tyler was heavily involved in every aspect of the production, and the careful and detailed nature of the songs reflects how much thought was put into these tracks. It’s a step forward for him musically and certainly in terms of creating a fully fleshed-out work of art with the albums accompanying live aesthetic- the suit and wig, namely.

“He’s always held an air of mystery about himself, though- it’s a challenge to decipher whether he’s joking or not, and that seems to be true to this day.”

Prior to the album’s release, Tyler was adamant that it shouldn’t be defined as a rap release. Though his name is still synonymous with being a rapper, rapping is notably absent on most of the album. He commented on this directly after being awarded a Grammy- while remaining grateful and humble about the win itself, he criticized the award show for pigeonholing artists like him to “urban” categories, calling it a “just a politically correct way to say the N-word.” It’s a nuanced point about the nature of such categorizations and the limiting impact that preconceived notions the Grammys can have. But it also rings a little hollow coming from the guy that defended using the word “gay” as an insult or went as far to say that white people should be able to say the n-word.

Tyler, the Creator certainly has certainly come to grow musically and emotionally. Having an immense amount of pressure on him at a young age to maintain a specific image and capture the attention of the public could have encouraged some of his more flagrant behavior in the past. He’s always held an air of mystery about himself, though- it’s a challenge to decipher whether he’s joking or not, and that seems to be true to this day. He’s become a fashion icon, a director, a designer, an organizer, and a respected musical artist. Whatever he does next, the world is sure to be watching.

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Paramore’s lead singer has been a powerhouse since 2005, when the band released All We Know is Falling. Since that game-changer 15 years ago, their sound has changed drastically, from the grit of their second album Riot! to the fun and funky songs on After Laughter. Whether you prefer the old five-piece Paramore (sorry, Farro bros) or only jumped on the bandwagon after “Still Into You” was released, one thing is clear: “Simmer” is something totally different.

In October, an Instagram account called @petalsforarmor began posting cryptic close-ups of flowers. It turned out to be Williams, who created the account to promote her new album under the same name. In December, she posted an image of a note thanking everyone for wishing her a happy birthday and ended it with a strikethrough sentence hinting at new music in 2020, stating “you’ll get a taste of it in January.”

Well, that taste was “Simmer”, and I’m already hungry for more.

“The music video and the following video for “Simmer: Interlude” hints at the upcoming Petals for Armor being a concept album. “

The song itself is gritty in a way so raw that even Paramore’s earliest work can’t touch it. It’s suspected to be about her separation from New Found Glory’s frontman Chad Gilbert after being together for over a decade and married only sixteen months. Two lines in the middle of the track state “If I had seen my reflection / as something more precious, he would have never / If my child needed protection from a f***er like than man / I’d sooner gut him, because nothing cuts like a mother.” Not only do the words come from a place of anger and regret, the music goes so low to the point that it’s almost just Williams speaking. The way her voice shakes when she talks adds a sense of vulnerability reminiscent of the beginning of “Fake Happy” but in an even more powerful way.

The music video and the following video for “Simmer: Interlude” hints at the upcoming Petals for Armor being a concept album. Williams runs naked through the dark forest, being chased by a red glowing entity. She finds a house, and the entity follows her. At the end of the video, Hayley hits the figure over the head with a ceramic bowl, killing it, only to have its true identity revealed as also being Williams. In the interlude, she drags her other self into a room of the house where the two lie on the floor, gradually becoming cocooned in cobwebs and dust. The end of the interlude shows Williams’s eye opening to reveal that she’s covered in flowers- Petals for Armor.

In an interview with Kerrang! Magazine, Williams explained the lyric “wrap yourself in petals for armor” was her “feeling like the way for me to protect myself best is to be vulnerable and be okay with having a lot of pain at certain times and also feeling a lot of joy at certain times.”

So far, the concept brings me back to watching the film Midsommar, both from the over-the-top visuals to the sheer terror and rage that the “Simmer” video evokes. If it does prove to be a concept album, it’ll be vulnerable and intense, giving new insight to Williams’s healing process after the rock bottom that she often sings about in After Laughter.

Petals for Armor is due May 8, and until then, all we can do is hold our breath.

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Despite making music for nearly 40 years, No Home Record is Gordon’s first ever solo album. With 9 tracks total, the album starts off with “Sketch Artist”, a combination of violin and harp chords, Gordon’s ultra-raspy voice, and a beat that sounds inspired by the band Death Grips. Even without any previous assumptions of her sound, this track isn’t anything anyone could have expected, especially as an opener. Following “Sketch Artist” is “AirBnB”, which is infinitely more pleasing to listen to than the track that precedes it. The crunchy guitar tones are slightly reminiscent of the grunginess that might be found on a Sonic Youth album, but the song as a whole separates Gordon from anything she’s previously created with a group.

In many of the recent interviews of Gordon regarding the album, she emphasizes the importance of the social undertones in her tracks that have always been present in her art: women’s rights, the end of capitalism, and the criticism of consumerism, to name a few. It’s clear that Gordon’s intention isn’t by any means to make music for the masses, or even music that is necessarily enjoyable to listen to, but instead to create a record that explores topics pertinent to her as a woman from Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the beats on No Home Record are difficult to follow. While there is a clear attempt at trying to mirror the disarray of society in her music, Gordon’s mumbled vocals over disorienting beats seem to do more harm than good in regard to getting Gordon’s message across.

Despite this, No Home Record does begin to shine after the first two tracks. “Paprika Pony” allows Gordon’s vocals to take the stage, unlike the first two tracks whose beats were so chaotic that it was difficult to make out her lyrics. “Murdered Out” and “Hungry Baby” are my two personal favorites on the record, for both their musical and lyrical content. “Murdered Out” comments on the rejection and reclamation of social trends. “Murdered out of my heart/covered in black matte spray” opens the song, and in an interview with Rolling Stone, Gordon states that the idea of black matte everything- cars, nail polish, clothing designs- is a look into how culture is collapsing in on itself. The rejection of the shiny and new has ironically become a trend in and of itself, and Gordon equates it to “a black hole, the supreme look inward… the outsider as an unwilling participant as the ‘it’ look.”

The album finishes with “Get Yr Life Back”, an amalgamation of everything No Home Record symbolizes. There’s a quiet beat, like footsteps, over Gordon’s spoken-word lyrics, as she comments on Twitter, changing your appearance through makeup (“fake lashes on your pillow”) and the end of capitalism. The record ends with three lines: “I feel bad for you/ I feel bad for me/ Get your life back, yoga.”

No Home Record was nothing I could have possibly expected. Aside from any previous assumptions tied to Gordon’s association with Sonic Youth, it has grown on me. While the first two tracks left something to be desired, the rest of the album was gritty and real, a rejection of society’s norms and expectations both in lyrical content and in the disorienting nature of the music itself.

7.9

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