Tyler, The Creator has killed it with ‘CHROMAKOPIA’. Despite having been released on a Monday morning after a sudden promotion, the Californian’s seventh has been a sales success. The first news of the album’s existence came with its first single, ‘St. Chroma’. The tower of hope from which Tyler pours out all his insecurities throughout the LP. It’s the Song of the Day.
“Never, in your fucking life, turn off your light for anyone,” Tyler’s mother advises at the beginning of the song. ‘St. Chroma’ presents the freest and most inspiring side of Tyler, summarizing his entire career and artistic vision masterfully in the first verse. “Hawthorne is where I’m from / Another planet is where I stay,” Tyler whispers over an intimidating military march.
Synths are added to the mix as the epicness of the lyrics increases: “I built a path to freedom through the words of Pharrell / Fuck tradition, stop impressing the dead.” Before moving on to the euphoric chorus, supported by the delicate voice of Daniel Caesar, Tyler gives the most confident moment of the entire album: “I have never had doubts within me / And if I told you that I have, I’m lying.”
The “light” and “fire” mentioned in the chorus may well refer to the creative explosiveness of youth, in contrast to the coming-of-age issues Tyler grapples with on the LP. In the second verse, Okonma states the questions that he will answer in the following songs: “Do I keep the light or do I retire with elegance?”
‘CHROMAKOPIA’ received over 85 million streams in its first day on Spotify and is already set to be Tyler’s first UK No. 1. HITS Daily Double also points to the possibility of selling 300,000 units in its first week, also achieving leadership in the US charts.
