Igor (2019), a Tyler The Creator album, follows his popular album Flower Boy (2017). The album Flower Boy followed Tyler's introduction to a broader spectrum of love, highlighting his self-discovery toward understanding himself personally, facing his feelings towards homosexuality, and coming to terms with his sexuality. In contrast, Igor approaches love through the lens of another character. The album follows a cynical adventure in terms of love and discovery, shadowing an underlying storyline following the love mishaps of Igor, creating a confusing cycle through the rise and fall of love. The characters are condensed to possibly three characters: Igor, Igor's love interest, and the love interest's ex-partner. Through the expressions of initial interest and the fall of what could have never nor possibly been, the album creates an insight through interest, jealousy, and eventually acceptance. The album's start introduces the main character in "Igor's Theme," the album falls into a cycle of fondness with songs such as "Earfquake." However, as the album progresses into a deeper, profound attachment to someone, the rising conflict specifically turns. The song "Running Out of Time" expresses the missed opportunity, devolving into the song "New Magic Wand," focusing on newfound jealousy and rage in the turn of events as the love interest's attention becomes indifferent.

The title of Igor lays the approach taken to convey the album's storyline clearly, addressing our primary target of attention as more of a personal experience written out for a character. The album's creation expresses the adventures of romance: initially explaining interest directly, the understanding of the impossibility of working romantically, leaving one to bask in anger, but eventually maturing. The album takes us through Igor's perspective of love and how he handled his situation. The craftsmanship of the sound and music produced creates an experience full of emotion; the vocals are often handled raw as if he had been directly talking to the listener. The music's lyricism is left to interpretation, using clever metaphors to imply unspoken feelings subliminally. The tone of the music morphs alongside the lyrics as pessimistic viewpoints are conveyed. The music never mentions the gender of the love interests, allowing the possibility for interpretation of topics discussed in the music or allowing the listener to apply the music to their relatability, enabling a diverse listening experience.

Igor perfectly appeals to teens and younger adults, often being a time in our lives when love is an avant-garde, new experience. Igor's confusing and rage-induced longing for someone who may never work out—when it could have worked out—is a situation many can relate to. Overall, it is a beautiful listen under the genre of experimental rap, Igor being an album mixing different points of the rise and fall of love, open to personal interpretation.

Review by: Angelica A.

Angelica is a virtual volunteer at Sylmar Branch Library. She is an 11th-grader at Van Nuys High School.

—Dana Eklund, Sylmar Branch Library