DON'T TAP THE GLASS
With the October 2024 release of *CHROMAKOPIA*, Tyler, The Creator seemed to explain that his three-year gap between albums had at least something to do with him trying to reconcile celebrity visibility with his personal life. After the pleas for privacy on some of that 2024 album’s most memorable tracks—not least acerbic single “Noid”—his pugilistic 1980s rapper cosplay on the cover of the subsequent semi-surprise release *DON’T TAP THE GLASS* appears a continuation of that sentiment. The contents of this significantly shorter follow-up to the critically acclaimed, commercially successful full-length are quite intentionally a big step away from the array of revelations, rebukes, and storytelling that defined *CHROMAKOPIA*. Judging by the opening robotic commands of “Big Poe,” Tyler is dead set against baring his soul for his fans again, explicitly prioritizing danceability over “that deep shit” as the tenet behind *DON’T TAP THE GLASS*. Then, as with fictionalized alter egos like Wolf Haley and IGOR, he assumes the song title’s identity as his latest character, embodying this hedonist with a stream of winking profanity over a bed of N.E.R.D-esque synth-rock. Later, the sub-bass-blasted “Stop Playing with Me” operates in a similar thematic and sonic space, inherently threatening yet undeniably catchy. In a way, *DON’T TAP THE GLASS* spiritually calls back to The Notorious B.I.G.’s unapologetically reclaimed “Party and Bullshit” ethos, with music that resembles the funk and dance styles that the late Mr. Smalls would no doubt have vibed to during the 1980s and early 1990s. From the squelchy electro of “Sugar on My Tongue” through the retro R&B boogie of “Ring Ring Ring” and “Sucka Free,” the genre callbacks offer comforting grooves for Tyler to melt into. His oft-caustic voice transforms into an ephemeral texture on “Don’t You Worry Baby,” a seductive bit of bass and breaks nudged along by his quiet commands. Yet, even at the times when he seems conspicuously absent from the festivities, as on “I’ll Take Care of You,” it’s really because he’s cultivated a jam he can admire from somewhere above the dance floor. Call *DON’T TAP THE GLASS* escapism if you must, but it sure feels hella good in this club.
Tyler’s ninth studio album is a brisk, single-minded, and snappy dancefloor romp. He skitters through electro, synth-funk, disco, and Miami bass not to reinvent himself, but to get lost.
Tyler, The Creator’s ‘Don’t Tap The Glass’ is a crate-digging party project that favours feel over formula – read the NME album review
DON’T TAP THE GLASS emphasises Tyler, The Creator's commitment to expressing as much of himself as possible.
Arriving with little fanfare and without a prolonged, carefully-staged build-up, Tyler, The Creator released his ninth studio album, 'DON'T TAP THE
Tyler, the Creator’s ‘Don’t Tap the Glass’ unfolds like a Pinterest mood board of regional dance subcultures.
The soul-searching of last year’s Chromakopia is expelled – for the most part – by half an hour of early 80s rhythms and slick one-liners with the IDGAF attitude of his early years