Now, don’t get me wrong, that is a valid point and there is definitely some truth to the claim that men are expected to “have it all together”. Generally, despite being male, I tend not to subscribe to the consistent online theme of “men have feelings too”. And that is exactly why I love it, and Tyler’s music in general, so much. More importantly, it is a refreshing break from the plaguing masculinity that I constantly remind myself doesn’t exist. It is a loving step away from reality and into Tyler’s sunflower field of a dream world. Flower Boy, when you’re in the mood for it, is incredible.

Ten months later, I decided to give Flower Boy another listen, reasoning that it would be a much better experience now that I was in a mood that fit the album - I was right. What I mean is that I was finally with the girl I had been dancing around being with for the better part of two years. Within months, I was finally over the lovesick hurdles that had been plaguing me for a year and the timing issues that were previously unforgiving were finally starting to let up. Honestly, I was more in a mood for hard shock rap anyway. However, at the time, I was mentally more aligned with Wolf.

All that said, the first time I heard Flower Boy was bittersweet. Additionally, the album is even more difficult to appreciate when the person who holds the sole solution to those problems is the one who recommended you to listen to it, even inserting that you would enjoy it more because of your affinity for romance. Flower Boy is a difficult album to get into when you’re on the brink of both giving and receiving the love you’ve always wanted but stopped by forces that are simultaneously inside and outside of your control. That is, the inner hopeless romanticism I was fighting with was blocked both by the general stress of being a junior in high school and pure dreadful timing on my part. The first time I listened to Flower Boy all t he way through was, romantically, an odd time in my life. Regardless, I still hope there is some message to take away from this, even if it is simply “Listen to Flower Boy!”. Before I begin, let me preface this by saying that I am in fact using this article as an excuse to talk about Tyler, with whom I’ve been slightly obsessed as of late.

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