In the past few weeks, two noteworthy albums have come out: one, a long-awaited third studio album, and the other an up-and-coming producer making a large footprint on the underground electronic scene.
The long-awaited third studio album is obviously Tyler the Creator’s new album Cherry Bomb. A lot of people didn’t feel the vibe Tyler created with this new album, but its eclectic nature gives the album a fresh representation of Tyler’s established image.
The album is comprised of a variety of influences, one of the main ones being Pharrell, who Tyler says is his biggest influence. In songs like “Find Your Wings,” “Blowmyload,” and “F***ING YOUNG / PERFECT,” you can hear the soulful influence of Pharrell.
These tunes are the more mellow tunes on the album and are reminders of Tyler’s previous album, Wolf. The contrast between Wolf and Cherry Bomb is very prevalent, though, with Cherry Bomb being a more heavy, in-your-face album instrumentally, whereas Wolf was heavy, but in-your-face lyrically.
The whole album flaunts Tyler’s creativity and eccentricity flawlessly. The more hyped-up tracks on the album definitely display this eccentricity more. I am a firm believer that the feelings the art evokes is indicative of what the artist was feeling when creating the art. That being said, you can really understand where Tyler is coming from with each one of the songs on the album.
From the instrumentals to the lyrics, Tyler seems to have struggled a little between releasing Wolf and Cherry Bomb. Besides his feelings, his opinion of popular hip-hop music bleeds through, especially with the last line in “Keep da O’s,” where Tyler says, “I’m rappin’ about diamonds and cars and money now. What the f**k has gotten into me man,” indicating Tyler’s dissatisfaction with the topics rappers choose to rap about these days.
This album definitely reflects Tyler’s opinions of his own success and where hip-hop is headed, too.
The second recently-released album, EP actually, is Mura Masa’s Someday Somewhere. Mura Masa, at just 18, already has a huge arsenal of remixes and originals that are impeccable. With this new EP, Mura Masa has created a whole new sound.
The lo-fi synths and thumpy kicks throughout the EP are put together in two very different styles, effectively showing Mura Masa’s skill as a producer to evoke different feelings with the same sounds. He definitely made it a mission to create a specific sound for the album, not just throw random songs together that fit a vibe.
Songs like “Are U There” and “/your bones” demonstrate the art of simplicity, a craft Mura Masa is pro at. The album awakens feelings of lovesickness. The lyrics from the singers featured on the songs signify that lovesick feeling further, especially on the track “Lovesick F**k”, and the EP is reminiscent of a breakup. Although still relatively underground, Mura Masa will definitely be on the rise in the next year. This EP will sky rocket his career to the next level.