Record of the Week: Tyler the Creator’s ‘Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale’

An interlude from his more experimental records, ‘The Estate Sale’ is Tyler’s most luxurious, and head-banging record.

The New York Sun

A few Mondays ago, Tyler the Creator released his latest, and most commercially successful album, “Chromokopia.” The album is good, with a few excellent stand-out tracks, but it sounds like the midpoint between his 2017 alternative rap masterpiece, “Flowerboy,” and its 2019 follow-up, “Igor,” which took a swing into neo-soul. Both albums accomplished their sounds more distinctly and interestingly than “Chromokopia,” and I’d rather listen to either again over the new album.

However, between those releases and “Chromokopia,” Tyler took a break from chords and vocal filters for an album of pure solid hip-hop songs; to remind listeners about his rap abilities. On “Call Me If You Get Lost,” he accomplished this goal.

My record of the week is the extended version of that record, titled “The Estate Sale,” released in 2023; and it’s the rare deluxe edition that completes the original release, with “bonus” tracks matching and surpassing the quality of the original songs. The initial release of “Call Me If You Get Lost” succeeded on its rap head-bangers, like “CORSO,” “LEMONHEAD,” “LUMBERJACK,” “MANIFESTO” and “JUGGERNAUT” — along with more relaxed, romantic interludes, like “RUNITUP” — but the Estate Sale songs took these further and in a new direction.

The stand-out track here is “Sorry Not Sorry,” released as a music video, where Tyler reflects on how he’s changed through his career, and how he’s treated people around him along the way. It’s clever, emotional, and sounds great besides that; and isn’t just the best track on the project, but one of the best of Tyler’s entire career.

Just as the bonus songs complete the original album, “The Estate Sale” vinyl is a treated as a collectors item, and though you pay extra for it, it’s one of the most beautiful records in my collection. Befitting Tyler’s soft pastel aesthetic, the three LPs are printed in light Geneva Blue vinyl, and come in a cream, triple gatefold jacket, along with a 28-page booklet, containing the lyrics of all songs on the album. Whereas some albums cheap out on paper and print quality, this is anything but; it feels luxurious, with beautiful design details and embossed cover.

If you own the original album as vinyl, you don’t need this; but if you haven’t got it, and like Tyler’s work, this is the ultimate version to buy. Also, this was initially marketed as a “limited release” but actually available — from Best Buy to Amazon — and nobody is paying the $65 retail price. I bought mine for $40, and it’s been on sale for as low as $35.


The New York Sun

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