We Can’t Tap The Glass Because Tyler Shattered It

Tyler, The Creator is a juggernaut. Dropping DON'T TAP THE GLASS, an unannounced album, within nine months of CHROMAKOPIA on a Monday at 6 AM is a display of how sure he is of its success. This album is pure groove, the sounds blend new and old like they were inseparable from the very beginning. Comparing this record with any other Tyler albums is entirely nonsensical. This art is a stand-alone piece, dedicated to unfiltered authenticity, dancing, and defiance. Defiance is definitely nothing new for Tyler, but the production proves that he can adjust his main musical attributes for something more light-hearted and perfect for the warmer season.

Big Poe, the new alter-ego that Tyler assumes for this album, body slams into your eardrums after a robotic listing of rules (a very innovative method to present the thematic focus of an album) and Tyler makes it clear that you’re supposed to dance like your moves are going to help you defeat the level 100 boss in the videogame of your life. Lines like Burn this shit down, turn this shit up/I don't get consent, I don't give fucks let you know that this videogame is supposed to test your boundaries, so you better just let loose. Pharrell Williams features on the track, flashing his fashionable lifestyle through a few lines and reiterating the awareness of superiority that this track exudes. The bridge is a sample of Busta Rhymes' Pass the Courvoisier Part II.

Tyler is high off a rush on the next track, having met someone so sweet they taste like “Sugar On My Tongue.” This track clearly comes from a spot of boastful passion, with the repeated pre-chorus telling his lover to Tell your mama/Tell your daddy/Tell the world. The beat is high-pace yet groovy: if you close your eyes while listening to this track, you’ll probably have a sweaty and sexy flashback of the last time you were as hungry as Tyler is in this song. This song is perfect for the summer, especially for breaking it down on the dancefloors of late-night clubs in your closest party city. Whether you want to grind or groove, Sugar On My Tongue is perfectly suited for total indulgence.

Sucka Free throws us back to last year's THAT GUY freestyle and embraces a nostalgic hip-hop sentiment. Arrogance is in, and rapping about being that guy who counts bills and never gets sloppy is the perfect display of this record’s personality. The lyrics are simple and repetitive, though the clean production of multi-layered instrumentals and a nod to the soul side of Tyler’s sound make this track worthy of your summer playlist.

Mommanem and Stop Playing With Me are transitional tracks that go from plucking some nerves to finally snapping. Mommanem threateningly invites the addressee to hit it out, spit it out, get it out, with the wave-like note progression emitting how much resentment Tyler has balled his chest. Tyler also remixes the nursery rhyme Rain Rain Go Away, mocking whoever he intends to reach through his lyrics. This stylistic choice really makes raw cockiness the central pulse of the two tracks, because Tyler really doesn’t give a damn about coming off as mature or appropriate.

Ring Ring Ring sounds like a tribute to all of Tyler’s lover boy albums, with the central theme of a phone call drawing obvious parallels to Tyler’s CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST and tracks like 911/Mr. Lonely off of Tyler’s breakthrough album Flower Boy. Shooting someone, or more so a former one, a quick call after all the dust has settled is a common trope in Tyler’s music–and maybe in his life as well. Funky and vibey, this track is perfect for light-hearted yearning on a warm day by yourself while you chill, armed with a popsicle, and use the warm light of the golden hour to massage the bruises on your knees and heart.

Don’t Tap That Glass / Tweakin’ is a classic two-way track that Tyler typically indulges in on his albums. What is atypical for Tyler is a lack of emotionality behind his verses: both tracks remain playful. Nonetheless, an important message and perhaps the idea that triggered the creation of this record is obviously present in this track. Shortly after the album dropped, Tyler made a follow-up post with a statement that expressed concern that the therapeutic art of self-expression through dance was dying out, thanks to the recording and posting of anyone who stands out from the societally expected mold of exaggerated rigidness.

The metaphorical employment of the phrase DON’T TAP THE GLASS–typically something you’d see taped onto an enclosure at a zoo–for both the title of this track and of the album itself, strongly illustrates how caged we are in our modern reality. We are constantly on edge, frightened of phone cameras sealing our fate, like caged animals exhausted by inconsiderate children banging on the glass that keeps them away from freedom.

Tyler made the song Don’t You Worry Baby for the drive home from a really good first date. This song is just sunny, and if you’re not forced to sit down when you listen to this track, then “Damn, girl, you better move your hips.” You should share these lyrics with that one person who lights you up with puppy love and brings the same warmth you only ever knew from sunshine beforehand. The fluffiness of this album all around is a risky, yet successful choice on Tyler’s behalf. The sound is absolutely refreshing and will withstand the test of time, just as the 90s era of hip-hop, which clearly drove the sound for this album, continues to do.

I’ll Take Care of You drifts effortlessly between introspective chill and euphoric transcendence, offering a sublime moment of levity amidst the dancefloor energy of Don’t Tap the Glass. The track’s lush, drum‑and‑bass tinged production feels both atmospheric and grounded, painting an emotional landscape that flirts with vulnerability without ever losing its self-assuredness. In four minutes, Tyler showcases a rare balance: heartfelt invitation and artistic confidence, all while promising dedication in the most convincing way to an unnamed romantic interest.

Crashing cymbals conclude this album beautifully. Tell Me What It Is is a slow-paced turmoil in which Tyler doubts his chances of finding real love. He acknowledges his success, but understands that material excess won’t help him in his pursuit to spark a flame that lasts. This final track’s sound holds a poignant sense of finality, offering a slow-burning synth groove that feels both introspective and bittersweet. The lyrical minimalism makes this song easy to listen to while rounding off more hyped songs on this collection, but it also reminds us that when we’re heartbroken, there’s really not much to say at all.

As silly and sweet as Big Poe appears on the cover, this album is hard not to love in its entirety. It is less heavy than CHROMOKOPIA, though the theme of “leaving your baggage home” establishes that this bouncy record was intended to refresh your palette. As a vessel for whatever you feel–and more specifically, where you’re feeling it in your body–this album is perfect for what it is trying to be. Tyler continues to be a giant, constantly proving how well he can integrate samples and features as well as themes and references to perfectly personify whatever thesis his art is supposed to support.

LISTEN TO 'DON'T TAP THE GLASS' HERE:

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