Musically Miscallaneous

Tyler, the Creator is one of my favourite artists, so it made sense to start this blog with a review of his latest release. His 2019 release IGOR remains one of the most important albums in my personal rotation. I have listened to it countless times, and it still surprises me.

This brings us onto Don’t Tap the Glass, which Tyler released without any prior announcement. It came out on July 21, 2025, and as of this date he is still touring on behalf of his previous album Chromakopia. That decision alone changes how this record lands. There was no rollout, no buildup, and no guiding narrative like in some of his earlier work, as the album is only 28 minutes long.

It is also worth noting that this is the fastest he has ever moved between projects. The fact that Chromakopia as a body of work has not fully marinated in for a good chunk of listeners makes this release more unexpected.

He posted this on the day it dropped:

“I asked some friends why they don’t dance in public and some said because of the fear of being filmed. I thought damn, a natural form of expression and a certain connection they have with music is now a ghost. It made me wonder how much of our human spirit got killed because of the fear of being a meme, all for having a good time… This album was not made for sitting still. Dancing driving running any type of movement is recommended to maybe understand the spirit of it. Only at full volume.”

— Tyler, the Creator

It’s a sharp observation, and one that cuts deeper than it first appears. In a time when every spontaneous act risks being reduced to viral content, Tyler frames dancing and movement to his music as something that shouldn’t need an audience, or an apology.

He also made it clear that Don’t Tap The Glass isn’t a concept album, unlike some of his earlier work. The tracks run back-to-back with little pause, and there are no transitions to build emotional weight or hint at a larger narrative.

‘Sugar on My Tongue’ is built around a looping synth figure oscillating between B-flat and B natural. The drums hit on a swung four, the low end is compressed and close, and the vocodered vocals come off teasing, loose, and deliberately unpolished.

‘Sucka Free’ comes next in the tracklist with a melodic bassline and layered falsetto harmonies. The vocal approach blends playful vibrato with smooth R&B phrasing for a sound that’s relaxed yet emotionally rich. Meanwhile, bright chord progressions are subtly undercut by sly melodic twists. Altogether, ‘Sucka Free’ radiates a cruising-down-the-coast summertime ease, making it and easily one of my favorite tracks off the record.

‘Sucka Free’ radiates a cruising-down-the-coast summertime ease

‘Ring Ring Ring’ uses electric piano stabs and a synthetic slap bass that nod to a Jam & Lewis‑inspired pop‑house hybrid. Tyler adds telephone sound effects throughout that hark back to ‘Telephone’ by Lady Gaga. The simple hook becomes addictive through subtle syncopation, while the psychedelic funk instrumentation and swirling synths add depth and colour, giving the track a vibrant, retro-futuristic edge.

‘Don’t Tap That Glass / Tweakin’’ opens with a hypnotic repetition of the hook drives the momentum, “Don’t Tap That Glass”. Midway, it slips into a half-time groove, introducing filtered sub-bass and clipped snares. The bright piano riff shifts into stripped-back sub-bass pulses during the “Tweakin’” section, heightening the track’s tension and release.

‘Don’t You Worry Baby’ marks one of the album’s most intricate moments, blending warm harmonic layers with bold rhythmic shifts. DAISY WORLD and Madison McFerrin add airy background harmonies layered in thirds, lightly processed and spread across the stereo field. The track then pivots into a UK jungle-inspired breakbeat section built over a bassline rooted in Miami bass patterns.

The album ends on a softer note with ‘Tell Me What It Is’, where the tempo dips and warm synth pads cushion a clean lead melody. It’s the only track that hints at reflection, introducing a touch of introspection without disrupting the project’s overall dance-like energy. Tyler balances emotional undercurrents with a celebratory tone, while lush chord voicings create a gentle, atmospheric close.

Overall, while predecessor Chromakopia moved between slower passages and heavier moments, Don’t Tap the Glass removes that contrast entirely. It prioritises immediacy, stripping away excess to focus on rhythm and momentum, resulting in an album that keeps its foot on the gas from start to finish.

This shift raises question about how this album changes his tour going forward. Will he perform new songs on his tour or keep the current setlist as it is? At a pre-release event, phones were banned, in line with Tyler’s vision for a more immersive, undistracted experience. On the Chromakopia tour, he even covered his face during the song ‘Noid’ rather than performing to the cameras of concert goers, hinting at a tension between performance and privacy that may continue to shape how this new, more kinetic work is brought to life.