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Last week, I asked on Twitter whether I should review the new record from Carly Rae Jepsen or from Tyler, the Creator.

And while Jepsen’s newest won my Twitter poll, it struck me that there are enough thematic similarities between the two records that it’s actually worth talking about both here.

So that’s what we’re doing.

One thing that has always struck me about Carly Rae Jepsen is her understanding of how pop music works. Truly, no singer-songwriter in the pop field right now has a better understanding of how to craft a perfect, 3-minute-long pop song.

But something I hadn’t realized about Jepsen’s talents, though, is her ability to structure those songs into a compelling narrative. While “Dedicated” probably isn’t technically a concept album, it’s surprisingly easy to fit it into that sort of structure.

The record follows the trajectory of so many relationships: with the opening track, “Julien,” Jepsen waxes poetic about how amazing the titular object of her affection is, but by the final track, “Party for One,” she’s learning to come to terms with being alone.

In between, there are plenty of relationship ups and downs, but Jepsen always maintains a sweetly positive attitude, seeming like she’s dancing through life.

Part of this comes from bright, shimmery production that calls to might the 1980s nostalgia present in the work of artists like Jack Antonoff and Haim — and it should come as no surprise that Antonoff produced one of the best tracks on the record, the somehow sensual yet peppy “Want You in My Room,” an early album cut.

What’s most striking about “Dedicated” is the ways in which Jepsen captures regular-people emotions on the record. While so many love songs tend to put the beloved on a pedestal, and break-up songs condemn them, Jepsen’s approach to the love song is more mundane, and thus more real.

Her songs capture the emotion of moments, moments that in turn stack up into an ongoing relationship. That’s perhaps the most striking theme throughout the record; songs like “Now That I Found You,” “I’ll Be Your Girl” and most obviously with “Automatically in Love” examine the, well, relationship between love and this exact moment. And, conversely, “Right Words Wrong Time” looks at failing relationships in the same way.

And, when it all goes on, she engages in some old-fashioned self-love on “Party for One,” a track all about loving yourself when things hurt the most, with one of the most fun choruses I’ve heard in years.

Jepsen describes fleeting moments beautifully in happy pop songs that will be a joy to return to as time goes on, just as one looks back fondly on the relationships of their past. The record is nostalgic, beautiful and, above all, fun.

Tyler, the Creator, though, is in a very different headspace on “IGOR.” After seeming to come out of the closet on previous record “Flower Boy,” Tyler’s personal life seems to have taken a downturn, as, on “IGOR,” he’s practically ruminating on a break-up for the length of the album.

On his fifth album, Tyler leans more heavily into his “creator” title than ever before, acting almost like a ringmaster for a revolving door of featured artists. What’s most impressive about the record, though, is the ways in which these featured artists all blend to almost seem like parts of Tyler’s psyche.

Tyler taps into the likes of Playboi Carti, Solange, Kanye West and Pharrell, but all of these vocal contributions go uncredited, and many have had their vocals processed in such a way that they are rendered unrecognizable. They simply enter the ephemera that is “IGOR.”

And that’s part of what makes “IGOR” such a satisfying listen. Stars aren’t only here for their star power; they’re here for their musical talents. And Tyler’s way of blending the artists together continues into the songs themselves. Truly, this is an “album” more than it is a collection of songs. These songs are meant to be listened to together to evoke a certain mood.

And that mood, of course, is heartbreak with a glimmer of hope. Throughout, we hear Tyler lamenting the loss of a lover, begging them on “Earfquake” to not leave. “Don’t leave, / it’s my fault,” Tyler croons along with Charlie and Jessy Wilson.

There’s more singing from Tyler than we’re used to in the past, and even when he does rap, he’s totally lost the edge that marked his early career.

“I’m your puppet, you are Jim Henson,” he raps on “I Think,” and a metaphor he returns to later on in the record on “Puppet.”

Even at the end of the record, when Tyler seems to be growing past the lost love, it still seems to bother him. He chants the title of “Are We Still Friends?,” the closing track, almost like a mantra, longing to keep up some sort of relationship with his former love. Tyler’s voice grows more anguished as the song goes on, showing that even in his growth, there’s weakness.

It’s striking the ways in which these two records released on the same day approach relationships. While Jepsen sees her relationships as a source of joy, leading to bright, 80s-twinged pop songs, Tyler’s relationship leads to a bleak but funky record filled with heartbreak.

Ultimately, both records are true. They’re both real. We’ve all felt like Carly Rae, and we’ve all felt like Tyler. And that’s what makes these records so good.

Carly Rae Jepsen’s fourth record, ‘Dedicated,’ was released on May 17. https://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_CarlyRaeJepsen_Dedicated-1.jpg Carly Rae Jepsen’s fourth record, ‘Dedicated,’ was released on May 17. May 17 also saw the release of Tyler, the Creator’s fifth album, ‘IGOR.’ https://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_Igor_-_Tyler_the_Creator-1.jpg May 17 also saw the release of Tyler, the Creator’s fifth album, ‘IGOR.’

By Patrick Kernan [email protected]