With his phone on silent and a chance to reclaim what pushed him into the spotlight, Tyler, the Creator heads back to somewhere close to his roots. Call Me if You Get Lost was never going to return the star to his edgy Tumblr roots, but it would kindle the same passions that provided his earliest works. Gone are the soulful styles, the softer choices which made Igor and Music Inspired by Illumination & Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch such nice listening and back in, tagged back for another round in the ring, is the brash sounds of the future. Pack your bags and push on. With the context of Chromakopia, it feels refreshing to head back into Call Me if You Get Lost. An ironic moment, now, considering the journey is where you find yourself, not the destination.
Tyler, the Creator finds a mature line through this and banks the cheque made by his Igor thrills. Call Me If You Get Lost has aged tremendously well. Corso slots in some exceptional beats and backing vocals, pairing it well with the desire to use money to get out of emotional turmoil. Corso hits well but the urgency of it and the charm of its erratic and everyday noises on Lemonhead and WUSYANAME is integral. Repeat the album’s title and push through with the slick production style, the heartfelt lyrical concepts. Those hyper-specific strokes from Tyler, the Creator are brilliant here. Early atmospheric flourishes which are cemented in these first few songs are then kicked on towards the end, little drops that call back to an album which is as complete and consistent as can be. People may remember Lumberjack more than any song here – and rightly so. Call Me If You Get Lost kicks against an established style and provides a harsher edge to his sound.
It is a change Tyler, the Creator needed and in making the transition back into rap generalities he loses the softer touch but the context of his previous releases is still maintained. There is a lightness to it and the lyrical style despite those heavier moments, the inherent danger and detail finding its way through a nuance absent in many of the contemporary works around Call Me If You Get Lost. Self-doubt runs rampant on Massa, despite the acclaim and rise through the ranks there is still a discomfort from Tyler, the Creator. Uncomfortable feelings of having the rug pulled from under you keep the creative cycle fresh. No rest for those who feel they could be replaced if not at the top of their game. It is what keeps Call Me If You Get Lost so relevant, so spurned on as the contemporary gaze shifts from act to act. Massa alone keeps him in the picture.
Call Me If You Get Lost still has room for the soppier side which softened the blow of Igor with the likes of Sweet / I Thought You Wanted to Dance. Brief flutters of intertextuality on Rise! makes all the difference for Tyler, the Creator, who provides a flush series of songs where he deals with the self-doubt which comes when needing to stay relevant but also considers his place in art and his seat at the top of the pile. His stylish self-discovery is a warm and earnest experience which maintains an open dialogue not with the listener but with himself. Call Me If You Get Lost is the capturing of a brief thought process, one which could have changed from the ground up since its release five years ago. Such is the joy of a deeply layered series of songs charting a confident tone which could disappear the next day.
