This is the third album from Tyler, The Creator, but this is admittedly my first foray into his music. I heard See You Again from Flower Boy and I loved EARFQUAKE from IGOR, but that’s about it. I’ve heard more about his changing reputation more than I did his actual music. What I heard about Tyler (mostly from the After Effects-clad music video essay crowd) was that he was one of those edgy rappers who said very vulgar things in his lyrics, even by rapper standards, then changed his style to something a little more relaxed and vulnerable. Which brings me to CHERRY BOMB. With what I’ve heard about and from Tyler, I can say that this record is a happy medium between those two opposed personalities that Tyler has shown us over his career. I went into this album blind and I heard an album that was a bit clunky in how it handled mixing and the clashing brash and sensitive sides of Tyler, but nonetheless enjoyable! It’s a great all-arounder kind of record that has a bit of something for everybody. There are aggressive tracks as well as gentle tracks, which you’ll find mostly structured in a way that makes sense narratively. What I took away from this record though was that it was a transition from an angry place to a brighter place, and I like to hear that, especially done as well as this.
PRODUCTION
CHERRY BOMB’s production is something I thought I would dislike at first, and I did, to an extent. It definitely took some getting used to, especially with the louder tracks. The softer tracks are mixed quite well, but the louder tracks are a little more controversial. I don’t mind the whole “bass boost” motif with these tracks, in fact, I like it. But I come from the school of thought that says, “if you want to go loud and aggressive, you typically want to make every element loud and aggressive” and those louder tracks on this record have Tyler buried in the mix. It’s loud and bombastic, but the beat is more front and centre, when it really should be Tyler. While the title track is an absolute banger, this is the song where that problem is worst. The front side of this album has this rougher production style, and it made a few critics go yuck, including myself, but it oddly works for this record. It balances the aggressive and chill vibes as roughly as you would expect, which makes sense. It’s rough, then mellows out closer to the end.
The other, more likeable side of this album’s production is its panning. It’s absolutely everywhere. If there’s one thing I can say that this record does consistently right from a production standpoint, it’s how engrossing and entertaining it is. It’s not just this bass-caked wall of noisy hip-hop, but it’s a noise that you feel all over. This record does not skimp out on bass, as I’ve already mentioned, but it doesn’t skimp out on anything else either. CHERRY BOMB is very lushly and lovingly arranged. The album envelops you in sounds both abrasive and beautiful, often combining the two in a pretty intriguing way. The sound play helps with that immensely. Even if there’s a lack of a defined sound, it’s a sound that changes as the album progresses, which brings me to my next topic.
COMPOSITION
This album smacks you with power almost immediately then starts to mellow out and get pretty as it goes along. This philosophy carries throughout the whole album and the songs themselves. The samples are used pretty well as they add extra fireworks to the album. The first two songs, DEATHCAMP and BUFFALO are perfect examples of this, especially with the former’s guitars!This album opens up with a song that you would play over a bank robbery scene à la Baby Driver if Ansel Elgort’s character was really into Mac DeMarco. I love it! Speaking of early tracks on this album, the bass on this thing is on a spectrum between present and LOUD! When it’s in the nicer tracks, it’s super funky and smooth, and on songs like the title track, it’s basically one of those bass boost memes that I mentioned earlier. I like both styles as they both give this record a lot more oomph. The drums are also pretty good as well, and they fit the vibe of each track well. They are bombastic on those louder tracks and very clear and light on the lighter tracks. Which brings me to the prettier aspects of this record. Pianos on this thing are beautiful and they always add a bit of levity. Synths add a bit of the opposite, making this record a little more jagged. As mentioned, guitars go hard on this record, but they also get smooth on songs like 2SEATER. Strings are very lush and they oddly remind me of the Mii lobby music. It’s a bit of an eclectic record and instruments are used for a lot of different things, which somehow works to this record’s advantage.
CHERRY BOMB sounds eclectic and it’s a bit of a mess. I don’t think flow is handled very smoothly, but it oddly works I know I've said, "oddly works" a lot But hey, there's a lot about this record that oddly...works. It is both orderly and chaotic at the same time. The best part of this hodgepodge of ideas is the beat switches later in the album with songs such as BLOW MY LOAD and 2SEATER, going from relaxed to a different kind of relaxed halfway through. The most aggressive and noisy tracks are mostly at the front of the record and they are the most offensive. That said, they often have some genuinely pretty moments that allude to tracks later on in the album. PILOT’s chorus is pretty melodic, as well as CHERRY BOMB with those synths. They have a bit of this “millennial/Gen Z-targeting shoe/anime commercial” vibe to them, but I mean that in the nicest way, I swear. Tyler The Creator is a gifted arranger who makes very creative songs, even if they are a little rough around the edges. You have to be to make an album with two diametrically opposed personalities work. CHERRY BOMB chooses to hit you with the aggression first, then lay back once it thinks you’re cool enough to be vulnerable and sweet around, which comes out in song and album structure. It is a perfect representation of Tyler The Creator’s changing creative persona from Bastard to Flower Boy.
LYRICS
The lyrics on this thing are about as eclectic as the instruments that come with them. Tyler The Creator is a big reason for that. The tone of Tyler’s voice changes from song to song which fits each feel pretty well. His singing is clean and pretty on those lighter tracks. He also gets some nice layering at the end of the title track with that “OKAGA”, as well as all of Fucking Young with those sweeping backing vocals. As for Tyler’s rapping, that’s also pretty interesting to analyze. There’s this baritone vocal style that he uses often. It ranges from loud and gruff to a mumble depending on where you are in the album and the feel of each song. For example, he’s basically screaming on the title track. He has a deadpan, yet raspy flow on Buffalo which I really like. It gets even more deadpan, but this time with more sadness on the next track, Pilot, which is even better! There’s also lighter, more trebly flows with lighter tracks. And then there’s that pitched up flow which works fine for some songs like the second half of 2SEATER, since it’s kind of going for that cute vibe, while on Run and Keep The O’s, it’s kind of obnoxious. There’s also these little high raspy licks from Tyler that add a little fun to the album (they may be annoying at times, but I digress). The rhyming schemes are actually pretty creative. Smuckers, for example, has some of my favourite lines on the record. All this is not even bringing up features. Women on this record always show up to play, whether it’s Kali Uchis on Fucking Young or Alice Smith on the closer, they all sing beautifully and add to those lighter songs. I like Kanye’s feature on Smuckers, which ties into the core message of the song quite well. Lil Wayne’s feature on the same track is just…ok. Overall, it’s a solid bunch of artists with a few duds from Tyler and the gang, but nothing too terrible and a few gems.
The lyrics are sporadic and all over the place which is perfect for this kind of album. There isn’t a tight-knit concept to talk about, as this is a more “collection of songs” type of record, but that’s fine given the split motif of CHERRY BOMB. You’re not getting the high concept, high IQ Kendrick Lamar, life-changing experience, and Tyler is very vocal about that early on. There’s not much in the way of cohesion, besides that car thing from the end of the title track to 2SEATER, which I really wish were more prominent. This is a fairly standard pop/hip-hop album from a lyrical standpoint, with flexing, roasting the haters and love. The real selling point here is not necessarily any discernable message, but more vocabulary used and tone. From the first few tracks, we get an aggressive Tyler that uses vulgar language that even the most lenient of listeners would find that he crossed a line with. With all that said, there’s a dissatisfaction with the edgy demeanor that he became famous for and he decides to relax a little. It is here where I say that the whole theme of “transition” comes more into view. CHERRY BOMB is not what was expected of Tyler at the time, but it was time to change things up. The whole “edgy rapper” thing was only going to take him so far until he became a laughingstock or irrelevant, and it was time to find his new wings and spread them. Tracks like Fucking Young see a Tyler in a moral situation where he’s actually saying no to temptation, which really shows that maturity that I really admire. This album is about finding oneself and maturing as a person, even if that transition can be a little rough.
CONCLUSION
I like CHERRY BOMB. As unkept as it can get, I like it. Sure, I don’t really vibe with all the production choices with Tyler hanging way in the back of the mix. I feel he should be leading the charge, not the instruments. But I can say that this record stays consistent in how lushly it’s arranged. The sound play is always present and interesting. Even those louder tracks manage to be all-encompassing when you put on a good pair of headphones to take a listen. The quieter tracks have my heart from a production standpoint because man, they sound good. They don’t skimp out on any instrument! Speaking of instruments, the composition builds this album’s personality as much as the lyrics do. The composition is what makes this album not only come alive, but a living thing. The instruments are really tight, and they build atmosphere really well. From booming bass to full sounding brass to very versatile synths, Tyler the Creator has proven himself to be a talented arranger. He uses these instruments in such a way that works well. But the best part is not necessarily the instruments themselves, but how they’re used. There are very few records that sound like an actual human’s personality quite like CHERRY BOMB. The aggressive tracks have genuinely pretty moments that are caked in harshness. It’s like a rough and tough, muscly dude who has a sensitive side to him. Once you get to know this muscly dude, he turns out to be really sweet and thoughtful, and that’s where the prettier tracks come in. It’s a transition from rough exterior to warm interior, which brings me to lyrics. They are delivered by a Tyler the Creator who uses a lot of different flows and tones to fit each track and each mood. The rhyming schemes really took me by surprise by how off-the-wall and creative they can get. Even if they get completely stupid, I love it because Tyler owns it and it’s kind of funny to watch him troll the critics. But if it were just Tyler trolling the critics and dicking around, it would get old quick. Knowing this, CHERRY BOMB is a transition away from that aforementioned style to do something different. It’s not as cohesive as I would like, but this album really shows that Tyler the Creator can write a compelling narrative. He is a maturing artist from Pilot to Find Your Wings to Fucking Young to Okaga, CA, and despite its haphazard nature, Tyler made a solid, human record.
I’m giving this one a Light 8/10.
FAVOURITE TRACKS: DEATHCAMP; BUFFALO; PILOT; FIND YOUR WINGS; CHERRY BOMB; BLOW MY LOAD; 2SEATER; THE BROWN STAINS OF DARKEESE LATIFAH PART 6–12; FUCKING YOUNG/PERFECT; SMUCKERS; OKAGA, CA
LEAST FAVOURITE TRACK: RUN
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