I will be pouring my heart out with my love for this album: let's begin.
Igor by Tyler, the Creator launched on May 17, 2019, but I remember first listening to it during that Memorial Day weekend.
The first track I listened to was "A BOY IS A GUN*." I did not know Tyler all too well at that point, and all I had really known him by were his collaborations with Kali Uchis on "After the Storm" and "See You Again," along with his iconic singles "Boredom" and "911 / Mr. Lonely." Needless to say, I was confused by the meaning of "A BOY IS A GUN*" and how it specifically differed so greatly from his past work, but I enjoyed it and was eager to hear the rest.
Next I heard "EARFQUAKE," which is rightfully the most popular song of the album. It incorporates well into the album as a whole, while also being a great story all on its own, which I think is what makes it so memorable. I listened to those songs previously mentioned along with "NEW MAGIC WAND," "RUNNING OUT OF TIME," and "GONE, GONE / THANK YOU" a few times before tragically putting Igor on the back-burner for a hot second. (I'm usually the type of person to stick with the music that I listen to on a daily basis.)
About two months after I first listened to Igor (and subsequently paused my listening) is when things started clicking and the entire album made sense to me. I learned that Tyler is bisexual, I vaguely read something about the meaning of "A BOY IS A GUN*," and I watched the music video for "EARFQUAKE." I was a fan of it from my first listen but I regret not researching it sooner because once I did, it gave me an entirely new love for it.
This album is—dare I say—my favorite album of all time, up until this point in my life. Melodrama by Lorde, babygirl, do not fret because you are a close second. Igor, in its simplest terms, perfectly describes a breakup from start to finish. It more complexly describes a gay relationship in which one man is out and the other one still has a girlfriend, and so Igor (Tyler) is deemed as a secret and a side fling.
Despite this story being about Igor's experience, it is easy for anyone who has experienced a breakup to resonate with this album.
There's 12 songs on this album, and each one tells of a different stage in a breakup.
- "IGOR'S THEME" is the introduction song and it sets the stage for the rest of the album. Tyler once tweeted that the best way to listen to this album is while driving or doing some other preoccupied activity: "Ridin' round town, they gon' feel this one."
- "EARFQUAKE" describes the premise of the relationship that Igor is in. He begs, "Don't leave, it's my fault" wanting his partner to stay with him (it's also a play on words, since faults are fractures between rocks). Even though his heart is breaking, he feels attached to this unnamed partner.
- "I THINK" says, "I think I've fallen in love, this time I think it's for real." Igor is infatuated with his partner and is basically going through a honeymoon phase.
- "EXACTLY WHAT YOU RUN FROM YOU END UP CHASING" is very brief and serves as a foreshadowing to the rest of the relationship (and album).
- "RUNNING OUT OF TIME" says that he's been begging his partner to reciprocate his love, and it's becoming so draining that time is about to run out. Igor explains, "I need her out the picture. Take your mask off." referring to his partner's girlfriend and telling him that he knows who he actually is.
- "NEW MAGIC WAND" is when Igor starts to realize that he will not be taking the place of the girlfriend, and so he's beaming with envy. He says, "My eyes are green, I eat my veggies." and pleads that he doesn't leave him for good. This is when things start becoming a lot more sinister in the album.
- "A BOY IS A GUN*" plays off of the last track. The latter talks about killing the girlfriend, while this song expresses how this man is going to be the downfall of Igor. It has my favorite lyric in this album, that being, "How come you the best to me? I know you the worst for me." The back-and-forth feeling of this song expresses how Igor knows that the relationship is doomed, yet still desperately wants it all to work out.
- "PUPPET" is really an anthem for co-dependency. The sound and the lyrics scream, "I'm unnervingly obsessed with my partner." It explains, "I'm your puppet. You control me. I'm your puppet, I don't know me." It's at this point in the album when Igor completely succumbs to his infatuation with his partner, and does not care about any over variables.
- "WHAT'S GOOD" is Igor's sort of manic phase. He's switches the focus back onto himself, and does so in a very egotistical way. He calls himself God, "Hard to believe in God when there ain't no mirrors around." He's 'seeing the light' and remembering the power he possess. It reminds me of when people exit a relationship and realize who they were before it happened.
- "GONE, GONE / THANK YOU" has to be my favorite song on this album, hands down. The first part boasts about how he no longer loves this guy, with such an upbeat sound that it makes the listener feel as free as Igor does. He even takes one last jab at the girlfriend, "I hope you know she can't compete with me." The second part of this song expresses some gratitude for the relationship, proclaiming, "Thank you for the love, thank you for the joy. But I will never want to fall in love again."
- "I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE" is picking at a wound. He's further emphasizing that he doesn't love this guy, he's over him, and he wishes that it never happened to begin with. The lyrics say that he doesn't love him, but the sound leads us to believe that Igor is trying to adjust to this new feeling and this song is almost a rehearsed message that he's playing around in his head.
- "ARE WE STILL FRIENDS" is the last song, and it's very bittersweet. It's exactly the feeling that comes after a breakup. Things ended in an ugly way, but he realizes that he couldn't actually 'un-love' this guy as swiftly as he had anticipated. Igor says, "I don't want to end this season on a bad episode." He wonders if they could ever be friends again, and says at the end of the album, "Can't say goodbye."
