Tyler, the Creator, “IGOR” (Columbia, 2019)

Opposite of love stories shown in mass media, love’s obsessive and gritty parts are just as inevitable and detrimental as the intense passion and care that goes into relationships. In this love story turned album Tyler, the Creator (Tyler Okonma) bears all of the bad and takes a different approach. “IGOR,” With a total run time of 39:43, reminds one how addictive love can be and just how dangerous that addiction can be. Okonma challenges any doubts about his artistry and throws them right back at the audience coated in a sticky rejection of love with the help of soul-bearing lyrics, incognito synths, and, interestingly, a three-part unsuccessful love story ending ultimately on a good note.

This love story starts with the introduction of Igor, a character, in “IGOR’S THEME.” There, our greedy, illustrious, neurotic friend Igor comes out to play. Igor is made out to be the detached version of Okonma, where emotions are all or nothing, which shows in the music produced throughout the album and the stages of this story. 

Two notable changes in sound throughout the album mark the stages Okonma and Igor go through in this relationship. The first significant change occurs in “NEW MAGIC WAND,” stylized with upbeat, funky synth cords matched with aggressive bass. This is the first song in the album where we feel the anger, tension and heat rise in this relationship. 

We are introduced to a melting pot of punk, r&b and funk with clashing sounds and styles, creating the mess that is Igor’s reaction to the rejection of what was a blossoming relationship. Igor presents himself as envious and greedy of his lover as he soon discovers someone else is in the picture, taking the attention away from him.

“Don’t call me selfish, I hate sharin’/This 60-40 isn’t workin’/I want a hundred of your time, you’re mine.”

The next shift in the sound and emotions coming through the album is at the outro of “WHAT’S GOOD” and lead into the next song, “GONE, GONE / THANK YOU.” 

The outro portion features the angelic and soft sounds of what we could only imagine as a grand piano encased in a marble room. In this part of the song, we see Igor-turned-monster go weak at the timbre and crescendo of the calming chords playing. Listening closely, you can hear Igor’s slowing, labored breathing over the piano. The piano sounds somewhat religious, perhaps celebrating the death of what this relationship was for Okonma. 

Rounding out the last section of the album, which comes unexpectedly after the rollercoaster of the first two-thirds, is acceptance. The album takes a calmer turn during the last three songs, where Okonma admits defeat and begins moving on from the end of the relationship. These songs, although maintaining a significant bass line, bring a lighter tone to the album and end it off full circle with “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?”

Overall, Okonma’s ability to create this storyline, and these characters and make music rooted in a plot is impressive. However, for the album to flow as well as it does and for every song to be essential to making this album complete shows just how next level his genius is. Looking at the album from an outside perspective, we can see how much thought went into creating and producing each song. 

Even the creation of one of the album’s main characters, Igor, took a lot of thought and planning. Throughout the album, Igor has a distinct sound differentiating between him and Okonma, thus furthering this thought that although the two are the same person, they are reacting to the relationship differently. Okonma’s ability to create this character and maintain it throughout furthers the significance of this album in his discography.

From the drum samples to the features, this album exceeds all expectations Okonma may have created for himself through previous albums.