DON’T TAP THE GLASS was dropped on randomly on Monday to my surprise. I do recall Tyler, the Creator previously talking about why drop an album on a Thursday night / Friday, but I didn’t think he was going to be literal about it. Besides that random point, it makes me have something to do during the week and write this review.
“THIS ALBUM WAS NOT MADE FOR SITTING STILL”
Tyler had posted this to his X (formerly known as Twitter) account, explaining why he made the album.
“I asked some friends why they don’t dance in public and some said because of the fear of being filmed. I thought damn, a natural form of expression and a certain connection they have with music is now a ghost”.
Leave it to Tyler to make an album based off of something his friends told him. That statement alone made me realize something while listening to this album: There was a sense and need of urgency to get this creative thought out and just release it to the world. I’ve listened to Tyler since Yonkers first dropped in high school and his releases have always had this “I don’t give a fuck” type of attitude. He just puts out what he wants. No pleasing the labels, no need to create a “radio record”. He just does it.
This album made to me was not only made as a dance album, but also to pay homage to the previous decades. He blends contemporary dance, G-Funk, and 2000s hip hop to give us an infectious style of music to literally dance to. It’s not his best lyrical album, but its something that will be played a lot by fans old and new.
Watching him live on X tear into NFR Podcast about comparing CHROMAKOPIA and his new release made me laugh. He calls his new album braggadocios, and made it about dancing and shit he was crying about. He’s right though, I feel every artist has a reason why they dropped the album they dropped. It’s not about pleasing the fans so much anymore but more about getting their vision out.
Overall, I feel DON’T TAP THE GLASS is a nice addition to Tyler’s discography, providing an irresistible energy. While it’s not as conceptually deep as his previous albums, it shows the reason the continuing reason why he is known as Tyler,”the creator”. I’ve continually looked forward on seeing him evolve as an artist and I can say, I’m never disappointed.
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