Tyler, the Creator was probably pretty stoked to learn that one of his favorite contemporary musicians (and sometime collaborator) Mac Demarco is putting the finishing touches on his new record. Last night, the high priest of slack rock posted an Instagram video soundtracked by a brief snippet of new tunes: “#that’s a #wrap. Just finished #Mixin the new #disc,” Demarco wrote. Today, Tyler fans have unexpectedly been gifted with new music, too. Except it’s not a #disc the L.A. creative polymath just #wrapped. The previously unreleased songs date back to 2008, when Tyler was just 17.
Recently, Reddit user BasedCarp unearthed six tracks uploaded to MySpace under the certifiably teenage moniker “I Smell Panties.” Though the songs are eight years old, they still feature the eerie pitched adjusted vocals and off-kilter humor that define his sound today. The EP-length offering features two tracks dedicated to cult colorful sneakers (“Bapes” and “Bapes Freestyle”) and one, uh, charming nod to Disney animation (“Lilo Fucks Stitch”).
The songs pre-date Tyler’s breakout debut mixtape Bastard, which was released just over seven years ago on December 25, 2009. The 15-track record — explosive, wildly irreverent, and to many, controversial — received critical acclaim, and set in motion the Odd Future Wolf Gang fanfare that reached its peak following the release of Tyler’s debut studio album, Goblin, in 2011.
It’s a trip listening to the I Smell Panties tracks, considering Tyler’s creative evolution over the past eight years. Goblin was jam-packed with glitchy beats and aggressive lyrical flows, while 2015’s Cherry Bomb featured Colombian soul queen Kali Uchis and Austin Feinstein of indie five-piece Slow Hollows. Tyler has branched far outside of music, too: he’s got a live action TV series, has worked in animation and video game development, has expanded his Golf Wang brand into a full-fledged fashion empire, and earlier this year announced plans to launch his own sneaker line, Golf Le Fleur. Give all the tracks a listen here, and hear how far Tyler’s come.
Related: How Tyler, the Creator is rewriting fashion’s rulebook in neon
Credits
Text Emily Manning
Photography Brick Stowell