Don’t Tap the Glass - First Impressions

Tyler, the Creator just released a new album a few days ago! And if there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I’m a massive Tyler fan and I NEVER miss a new drop…so let’s review it!

The album is called “Don’t Tap the Glass,” and it’s a funk and house album with 10 tracks. Tyler’s intention with it is for people to put their phones down and just dance. The title is fitting in this way, as listeners aren’t meant to tap through the music on their phones, but rather have fun with it and feel good. Tyler calls people to let loose and essentially dance like no one’s watching! Let’s explore each track in depth.

Track 1: Big Poe (feat. SK8BRD)

This song starts out with an intro with Tyler’s “rules” for listeners while playing the album. They are required to move around and be carefree! Tyler samples the vocals of “Roked” by Shye Ben Tzur and layers them with a booming bass and catchy, repetitive electronic melodies. In the second part of the song, Tyler samples the famous “Pass the Courvoisier Part II” by Busta Rhymes, Diddy, and Pharrell Williams. This song is an energetic and explosive debut to the album that boosts listeners’ confidence to jump around.

Track 2: Sugar On My Tongue

In this song, Tyler uses a lot of breathwork to act as percussion, in addition to fluttering high hats and a lot of bass work. He balances this with high melodies and chord progressions on the keyboard to create a fuller sound. Tyler uses his unique casual, conversational singing style to tell a playful story in this piece. This is an overall fun song I can imagine myself playing in a car with the top down.

Track 3: Sucka Free

The musical style in this track reminds me a lot of his 2017 album “Flower Boy.” Its sweet, happy synth progressions, accompanied by witty rap lyrics and varied singing styles create a funky ambience that is nostalgic of spring and summer. He alternates between breathy rap and a similar vocal style to “Sugar On My Tongue,” making the song’s pace a balance of fast and slow. This song is very summery and lighthearted, much like Tyler’s style in “Flower Boy” and even “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” (2021).

Track 4: Mommanem

In this short track, Tyler uses a lot of his familiar breath percussion, in addition to fast-paced, rhythmic rap lyrics. The music in the background is rather simple; it mostly consists of a suspenseful electronic loop and an intense bass progression. As the song progresses, Tyler’s voice gets more urgent and at one point seems to be taunting the audience: “A-ha, okay, that **** gon’ get clipped today.” Unlike the sweet, lighthearted melodies we heard in the last few songs, “Mommanem” introduces Tyler’s more complex emotions involving relationships and fame. It has a suspenseful and even unsettling musical mood, causing the audience to figuratively sit at the edge of their seats as they listen. 

Track 5: Stop Playing With Me

This track transitions from the previous suspenseful track to an energy-boosting, almost chaotic piece. Tyler uses a loop from “Mommanem” and pairs it with loud bass and repetitive clapping effects. Tyler explodes into almost argumentative rap lyrics, repeating “F**k you…stop playing with me!” He uses the fast pace and melodic layers of the song to make taunting his audience seem fun and playful. This is one of the heavier, fiercer tracks in the album that brings about spirit and organized chaos. 

Track 6: Ring Ring Ring

This song, like many others Tyler has written, has the theme of phones, and of calling someone. He utilizes audio clips of a phone ringing over synth chord progressions to make the song sound nostalgic. Tyler mainly sings in this song, asking someone to pick up the phone because he misses them. The song is romantic and sweet, using phone terms like “operator” and “hello?” to add to the overall theme. In my opinion, the song is similar in style and theme to “911 / Mr. Lonely (feat. Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy” from his album Flower Boy. It is cheerful and happy, contributing to the overall carefree essence of the album. 

Track 7: Don’t Tap That Glass / Tweakin’

This track is carried by a booming bass and a short electric piano loop. Tyler repeats “Don’t Tap That Glass” a lot, stating that there is a monster behind the glass. This is a high-energy song that makes the audience jump around. It has two parts, the second part having a different melody with a similar vibe to it nevertheless. Tyler utilizes fast-paced rap to create a percussive sound among the other overlapped sounds. This is an exciting song that is fun to dance to, and a clear reminder from Tyler to not tap that glass!

Track 8: Don’t You Worry Baby (feat. Madison McFerrin)

This track is very optimistic, with piano and synth progressions and romantic female vocals that soothe the soul. It’s very much a dance song, with a complex beat and a catchy chorus anyone could easily sing along to. McFerrin dominates the vocal tracks in this piece, with Tyler’s voice appearing here and there between verses. Her vocal style is soft and clear, mostly in head voice, and she is very expressive. This is a light-hearted, feel-good song about love that is beautiful and sweet. 

Track 9: I’ll Take Care of You (feat. Yebba)

This song is similar to the previous one, with echoing female vocals by Yebba. The melody includes an arpeggiated synth, with the beat coming in over a minute into the song. Yebba repeats “I’ll take care of you, you, you” as the melody grows more intense and the beat finally comes in. Tyler samples a clip from “Knuck if You Buck” by Crime Mob that repeats throughout the track. Overall, the song has an ethereal, almost otherworldly tone that makes you feel almost as if you are levitating. 

Track 10: Tell Me What It Is

The album finale is more slow-paced, as opposed to the majority of the album. Tyler sings in falsetto for most of it, and the melody consists of mostly a low electronic arpeggio and slow synth chord progressions. Tyler laments his difficulty finding love, repeating “tell me what it is” in reference to a flaw in himself that prevents his heart from loving properly. This emotional song is a perfect closing to the album because it wraps up all of the feelings Tyler has introduced. At the end of the song, Tyler states that he hopes the audience enjoyed the album, and confirms that the glass was not tapped!

Overall, this was a fantastic album with numerous emotional and musical layers. It made me feel excited and happy, but also self-reflective. Tyler successfully balanced upbeat songs with calmer ones, and used an impressive variety of vocal styles to create a unique sound. He cleverly used samples from other songs (many of which I might not have mentioned in my analysis) to add to his own work. Tyler’s creativity, emotion, and distinctive musicality was shown a lot in this album and I definitely had fun with it, just like he asked everyone to. Personally, this was a no-skip album, with my favorite songs being Big Poe, Ring Ring Ring, and Sugar on My Tongue. The glass was indeed not tapped.