On The Dot Is Not Your Aim

Tyler, the Creator “Come On, Let’s Go”

People like to say they “feel seen” in art now, and I suppose this happens rarely enough for me that I never consider it to be a virtue worth seeking out. But here we are with an entire Tyler, the Creator song about being a punctual person totally aggravated with someone else for running late and potentially screwing up your plans, and… yes, I relate to this quite a lot! The song is played as a joke, but only up to a point. The frustration and anger here is exaggerated from comedic effect but still very real, and the deeper tension in the song is a nagging question of compatibility: “Although we in love we are NOT the same.” Tyler made the track with Pharrell and the music plays up the impatience with pulsing tones that shift over into clattering beats, all these little sounds that convey annoyance without tipping over into sounding annoying. I recognize this very well, though I should say it’s not necessarily the most positive way of “feeling seen.”

Buy it from Amazon.