Tyler, the Creator and the lost art of album rollouts

Four years after the release of his album “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST,” Tyler, the Creator has returned with new music and is shaking up industry rules as he does it. 

Tyler first hinted at the drop Oct. 16, posting on Instagram a short snippet of what seemed to be the first track, with the caption “1. st chroma.” The black and white video features a mask-wearing Tyler marching while a group following him chants “CHROMAKOPIA.” Fans buzzed in the comments, hyping the new aesthetic and the possibility of features from Frank Ocean or Daniel Caesar, finding a resemblance to these musicians' voices in the music’s cryptic vocals. 

Tyler followed this post with another the next day, revealing the album’s Oct. 28 release, its cover and its website. Later, the website was updated with a map tracking two trucks traveling across the United States. Continuing to tease his fans, Tyler dropped the album’s first single, “NOID,” Oct. 22. Another black and white video featured Tyler in a mask, this time pushing through a crowd and running, with a cameo from Ayo Edebiri. The day after, Tyler announced “CHROMAKOPIA: THE WORLD TOUR.” Joined by Lil Yachty and Paris Texas, Tyler will be performing throughout the US, Europe and Australia. At the end of the week, Tyler dropped a final post, captioned “11. THOUGHT I WAS DEAD.” In a final post, Tyler has lost the mask but the monochrome aesthetic remains. 

Aside from creating buzz around his new music, Tyler’s album has sparked discussions about the art of album rollouts. Once the norm, album rollouts today are mostly a thing of the past due to audiences’ shorter attention spans, faster news cycles and the sheer content volume listeners consume. Instead of releasing a lead single or eye-catching music video or going on a press tour, artists now signal upcoming music by wiping their social media pages or dropping a short snippet on Instagram.

The surprise album drop gained popularity in the mid-2010s. Beyoncé used the strategy for her self-titled studio album “Beyonce” in 2013, releasing it on the iTunes store with no announcements or promotion, and again for her album “Lemonade” in 2016. Also in 2016, Frank Ocean surprise released his visual album “Endless,” before dropping “Blonde” the next day. Drake released his fourth mixtape, titled “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late,” unannounced in 2015. 

More recently, Taylor Swift has used the format for her latest albums. She took the world by storm in 2020 when she dropped her album “folklore” with less than 24 hours’ notice, before repeating it again a few months later with the drop of folklore’s sister album “evermore.” Swift later surprise dropped additional songs for her two albums “Midnights” and “The Tortured Poets Department.” 

While surprise drops have come to dominate the music industry, Tyler’s album rollout comes alongside a new wave that's reviving the lost art of music marketing. Halsey built up anticipation for her latest album “The Great Impersonator” with a daily countdown, posting pictures of herself impersonating various musical icons and the titles of songs on the tracklist. In the 18 days, Halsey impersonated everyone from Dolly Parton to Kate Bush to Cher to David Bowie to herself circa 2016 (from her “Badlands” album). 

This summer was the summer of brat. Not wanting the party to end, Charli XCX began to hint at the possibility of a deluxe album, with brat green billboards popping up throughout the US. In Ariana Grande’s hometown Boca Raton, Florida, a billboard with her name written backwards popped up. Similar signs featured names like Addison Rae, Bon Iver and Tinashe. Eventually, Charli XCX confirmed the news with a “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” billboard and an Instagram announcement.