Not even a year after the release of his Chromakopia album, Tyler, The Creator surprisingly dropped a brand-new longplayer yesterday: Don’t Tap The Glass. What might be even bigger news: it’s a dance album, plus an infectious left turn from the orchestral grandeur and conceptual ambition of his recent work. At its core, it’s an invitation to move your body – boldly, unapologetically, and without the weight of outside judgment. For those who’ve followed Tyler’s artistic arc, the shift might be as surprising as it is deliberate:
From the raw provocation of Goblin to the therapeutic lyricism of Chromokopia, Tyler’s catalog has always been more about narrative and nuance than nightlife. And while DTtG has its fair shair of introspective lyricism, the sound carpet it’s delivered on has never been this constantly uptempo. Don’t Tap The Glass breaks that mold with a bounce somewhere between Planet Rock, housy R’n’B, and Zapp, matched visually by Tyler’s fully committed rollout look: dressed like an OG b-boy in laceless Converse sneakers, a dookie chain, gold teeth, Cazal glasses, and ’80s leather chic. Like the music, it’s a celebration of movement from head to toe.
The title Don’t Tap The Glass immediately sparked interpretations – most obviously as a call to put the phone down, maybe even metaphorically tapping into the fragility of attention in the digital age. But Tyler was quick to clarify that that wasn’t the point. Rather than breaking down the actual meaning behind the album title, he doubled down on the reason he created it in the first place:
“This album was not made for sitting still. Dancing driving running any type of movement (sic) is recommended to maybe understand the spirit of it. Only at full volume.”
Tyler, The Creater on Don’t Tap The Glass
Tyler didn’t have to look far to realize that letting loose it not for everyone these days, as he shared on Instagram. When he asked friends why they don’t dance in public anymore, they admitted that they no longer felt comfortable dancing in public – afraid of being filmed and judged. “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,” he reflected.
That’s exactly why there were no phones or cameras allowed at his album release party at all – just 300 people, speakers, a sweatbox, and “a freedom that filled the room.” So here’s to good vibes. And to artists who keep pushing boundaries, not for clicks, but because they can’t help but move.
