A Collection of Unforgettable B-Sides- CMIYGL: The Estate Sale Review
By: Noah Weinberg
2023 ends in an odd number (duh), which can only mean one thing: a new Tyler, the Creator album. Deviating from his typical “new album, new era” strategy for releases, Tyler, the Creator changed his formula and graced his fans with eight new songs that didn’t make the original CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST cut. Tyler’s first deluxe album reminds music listeners that he’s still at the peak of the alternative hip-hop lane. With production so dynamic and lyrical content so brilliantly refined, The Estate Sale continues to peek into the mesmerizingly colorful psyche of world-traveler Tyler Baudelaire.
The Estate Sale is conceptless, like nearly every deluxe album. However, Tyler took a different approach to today’s streaming-oriented deluxe album climate. For one, The Estate Sale was released almost two years after CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, and its buzz had significantly dwindled. Secondly, The Estate Sale isn’t just a handful of loosies thrown haphazardly together in some cash-grab ploy. Instead, The Estate Sale is complex and substantive, containing some of Tyler’s most impressive artistry to date.
From a musical perspective, this album continues to demonstrate Tyler's versatility as an artist. The Estate Sale effortlessly weaves a mix of hip-hop, soul, and funk. As always, Tyler’s production is top-notch, with each track offering a textured soundscape filled with elegant chord progressions.
Tyler consistently creates lush sonic atmospheres bursting with elements of affluence. On songs like “WHAT A DAY,” “WHARF TALK,” and “HEAVEN TO ME,” Tyler articulates his one-of-a-kind worldviews over luxurious instrumentals. Whether it’s the subtle escalation of syrupy synth notes on “WHARF TALK” or the punchy percussion on the Vince Staples-assisted “STUNTMAN,” Tyler cordially invites listeners into his layered musical habitat.
Lyrically, this album isn’t just about personal bravado. Sure, Tyler pompously informs listeners of his hefty cars and jewelry collection on a song like “STUNTMAN.” Yet, he also repetitively deconstructs his quirky personal preferences within the first two verses of “WHAT A DAY.”
In “HEAVEN TO ME,” Tyler describes the blissful elements that make his life paradise from three different perspectives. The first verse tackles life’s little beauties in Tyler’s current state, like sugary sweets, being able to sleep in, and dozing off in parks. The middle verse finds a future 40-something-year-old Tyler appreciating his health, large yard, and teaching his hypothetical son how to do a wheelie on a bike. The final verse reflects on Tyler's childhood, whose previous love for green Supreme hats, Wendys, and Mr. Krabs wrist-watches pierce through listeners’ brains with nostalgic admiration. This observantly reflective Tyler demonstrates one of music’s most momentous transformations. Let’s not forget that 12 years ago, Tyler was famous for horrorcore lyricism and eating live cockroaches.
Thematically, Tyler continues to prioritize his evolution on The Estate Sale. As seen in the music video for the album’s climactic closer, “SORRY NOT SORRY,” Tyler brutally kills off each version of his former self. Tyler removes the eras of Bastard, Wolf, Flower Boy, IGOR, and even CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. One can interpret this as Tyler removing himself, or his ego, to dawn a new era that fans have yet to get a taste of.
On The Estate Sale, Tyler captivates his rabid fanbase with a collection of introspective and witty lyrics while narrowing down the scope of his words to ideas on personal growth and fame’s highs and lows. The Estate Sale is both pensively inward-looking and obnoxiously banger-oriented, just like the original CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. The Estate Sale wasn’t necessarily needed, but it was most certainly welcomed, beautifully diving deeper into the human kaleidoscope that is Tyler, the Creator.