From its interactive website to its unique sound, Tyler, the Creator’s newest dance album comes with three rules:
Body movement, no sitting still.
Only speak in glory, leave your baggage at home.
Don’t. Tap. The. Glass.
The rules aren’t inherently meant to restrict listeners, but more to encourage them to let loose. People have been reluctant to show off their best dance moves, their true selves, and have chosen to hide who they truly are. Tyler put together these beats to urge his listeners to ignore the fear of judgment or embarrassment, and let their dance moves out.
The release of this album shocked listeners because he had been actively on tour for Chromakopia, his other latest album, released in October 2024.
Timeline of Performances/DTTG Release
The timeline for the Chromakopia world tour and the release of Don’t Tap The Glass overlap, increasing the shock from the announcement of the album. With a total of 96 shows, Chromakopia spans from the US to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. The first show started in St Paul, Minnesota, on February 4th, 2025. His performances are often back-to-back, with a few having long breaks between. Even still, it’s hard to imagine an artist on an international tour finding time to write and record another album. With Tyler moving from city to city, pouring his heart into each performance, his fans are left wondering when he had the time or energy to record.
Before the album was initially released, a few cryptic teasers hinted at the new project. The title was first used during a concert at Barclays Center on July 18, 2025, as part of Chromakopia: The World Tour; an art installation was outside the venue, featuring a figure enclosed in a clear box, with the title written on the front. After the concert, the golf wang website was updated with new merch hinting at the release, including shirts, hats, CDs, and vinyl records. Everything listed shipped in a reflective chrome box, with clear plastic allowing the fan to see their merchandise inside.
The very next day, the website donttaptheglass.com was released. When on the website, your cursor turns into a hammer, and there is a collage-like picture of Tyler, the creator, in the center. The name of the album surrounds him, and if you click on the website, a shattered glass effect will appear on the screen. The initial three rules are also shown on the screen. The first in blue, the second in yellow, and the third in red.
After teasing the upcoming album, rumors of features were spread, but Tyler quickly debunked them. He also felt the quick release was freeing and shared, “I didn’t want to spend three years trying to be super innovative.” The album’s theme revolves around letting loose and dancing without remorse. In honor of the release, the night before, he held a listening party. The one rule he shared was, “Don’t Come If You Aren’t Going To Dance.”
After all the waiting and the drama, Don’t Tap the Glass was released July 21st, 2025. Also, I’m tired of writing about the backstory, so I’m finally going to tell you what I think. Also, I don’t care what you think because this is MY opinion!
Big Poe
When first listening to it, the intro highkey freaked me out. I hated the voice finger Tyler used. Also, the guy speaking in gibberish threw me off at first, but after looking through the lyrics, I found out more about it. The man is actually singing “roked roked roked l’elohim,” which is Hebrew for “Dancing to God,” which is cool. Honestly, Big Poe is a great hype song to get you feeling ready to either lift weights in the gym or write a great essay for Guera’s Intro to Lit class. The backing beats are consistent throughout the entire song, and something about saying “I’m Big Poe” is so funny yet so confidence-building. My apologies if any of this sounds corny, but if Tyler got people to dance, he can also get me to speak my mind. I appreciated the sample of Pass the Courvoisier Part II – I love that Pharrell was in the original song, and now he is involved with the sampling of the song under his other musical name, Sk8brd.
Sugar On My Tongue
From the first listen, I knew this was going to be my favorite song. The beat is immediately enticing, and the lyrics are more easily memorable. It’s the perfect song to get stuck in your head for a day or two. I also love how the beat builds up before Tyler sings, “like sugar on my tongue”. Sidenote, my favorite lyric is “Girl I’m dead”, throughout the songs there are little meme references, and you can kind of pick up on Tyler’s sense of humor throughout it all.. All together, Sugar On My Tongue is an upbeat hype song, whereas Big Poe is more like a tough hype song. If I were to be doing something while I listen to this song, it would have to be some sort of skating. Like roller skating or skateboarding, either way, some sort of movement to get all the exciting feelings out!
Sucka Free
It’s a little calmer compared to the first two songs, but the beats in this song are impossible not to bop your head or shrug your shoulders to. My favorite lyric is, “See, I’m that guy, give a f*** what you think.” It makes me picture an ’80s jock: obviously, he’s captain of the football team, dating a cheerleader, and has a Corvette. He’s getting ready, dancing a little in his letterman jacket, gelling up his hair, and getting ready to take his girl to the drive-in. If you’re a guy, I beg you to appreciate this song more. I could say, “I’m that guy”, but it doesn’t hit like it should because nobody calls me handsome.
Mommanem
I usually skip this one because I hate the background. The grunting, heavy breathing, weird high pitches, combined with the random rough bass, are all factors I don’t enjoy. I don’t even know when I would listen to it. Please don’t tell me when I could in the comments either, because I am not planning on it.
Stop Playing With Me
The intro is used solely because of the high pitches similar to Mommanem and the ghostly, choir-like voices “ahhh” -ing at me. Past that, another great hype song like Big Poe. I feel like listening to this in the morning will get you set for the day. The lyrics remind you not to take crap from other people and do what you want. Remember your worth and don’t let people play with you!!! My favorite lyric is “Get your funky a** in that tub, b****” referencing a TikTok of a girl roleplaying as a mother on Roblox, asking her kid to take a bath.
Ring Ring Ring
This is a very lovey-dovey song to me. The lyrics talk about being in love and calling up someone who clearly does not want to be called. But like, imagine being the one wanting to call, wouldn’t you want to call too??? Besides the lyrics, the song is mostly Tyler singing in a falsetto voice, gushing and crushing. Truly a cute song that I will be blasting on Valentine’s Day.
Don’t You Worry Baby
I absolutely love the sample of Let Me Ride by 12 Gauge in the beginning. The lyrics “let me rock” are also perfect for getting stuck in your head. Madison McFerrin’s feature is also perfect; her voice is so gorgeous and complements the song perfectly. This is almost a mix of hyped up and lovey-dovey. I don’t know what to say other than it’s a cute, happy, funky little song.
I’ll Take Care of You
THE ZELDA SAMPLE. Amazing. My ears are blessed, listening to this literally has me ascending into the air. I’m in tears as you read. I just love how calm and slow the song initially is. Although it intensifies a bit, it’s not overbearing; the song simply has the perfect balance. How the rapping slowly fades in and overlaps the calming backing track, then it fades out, and a different backing beat begins. This is peak. I know I said I loved a lot of other songs, but this one is my favorite. Just don’t tell the other songs I said this.
Tell Me What It Is
This is lowkey peak yearning to me. Tyler’s voice is kinda whiny, and the lyrics are of him asking, “Tell me what it is”, pondering if finding real love is too much for one to ask for. Clearly, he’s hurting and trying to decide if he should try again with another person or give up entirely. He feels as if he’s someone he’s not, and can do everything except for the things that are important to him. Towards the end of the song, there is a slight pause, and Tyler says “don’t tap the glass” with the voice filter, but it’s chill this time. Afterward, he responds by singing, “my heart” in a high-pitched voice. This weepy song is actually so perfect, so if you’re heartbroken, give it a listen.
Final Thoughts
Is it a dance album? My friends would say otherwise, but I would say so. All the songs capture different tempos and styles of music. I feel as if you could find a way to dance to each one, it’s just that you have to mix up your moves a bit. I love how the sounds of the album are unique from anything that he’s created before, and the music encourages you to move. I hope you enjoyed another banger from me, and you listen to the album while you practice dance moves in your room.