
IFHY is a song off of Tyler, the Creators’ third album Wolf. This album, often considered to be the prequel to albums Bastard and Goblin, delves into the relationship between three different characters: Wolf (Tyler), Sam, and Salem. Each one of these characters has a unique set of flaws that cause each relationship to suffer. In IFHY, Tyler the Creator uses different colors, facial distortion, and the idea of moving dolls to illustrate developments in a toxic relationship.

 In IFHY, Tyler the Creator uses different colors and patterns to indicate a change in mood in the over the course of their relationship, using each individual room representing different emotions or moods. Throughout the music video, the characters walk through four different rooms. At the time mark 2:31, all four rooms are clearly visible in a setting shot. Each room corresponds with a certain feeling or stage in the relationship. Everything in the bottom right room is slightly off. The wall is painted white with dots of dark blue in various sizes placed randomly. The window is aligned slightly leftwards. The table appears to only have three legs placed in unusual positions, with two on the left side and one on the right. The vase on the table is just slightly off center and the chairs are placed facing different directions. The bottom right shows the first real stage of their relationship. The first stage in Salem and Tylers’ relationship is very tentative. Based on the layout of the room, they are very different people. The colors are extremely close to polar opposites, (dark blue and white) and support the opposite personalities of each of the characters, giving the viewer an introduction to the type of person each character is, and how they were the first time that they met The room on the bottom left represents their “honeymoon phase”. The music video starts here, and the clouds that decorate the wall, along with baby blue paint, combined with the close up at the beginning are a direct nod to the saying ‘head in the clouds’, focusing on all the things he wishes would happen. The second time the room comes into the video, both characters pass through it quickly, just as the dreamy, honeymoon phase in real relationships passes, as they travel into the upper two rooms. Everything in the bottom right room is slightly off. The wall is painted white with dots of dark blue in various sizes placed randomly. The window is aligned slightly leftwards. The table appears to only have three legs placed in unusual positions, with two on the left side and one on the right. The vase on the table is just slightly off center and the chairs are placed facing different directions. While there are several interesting details in the upper two rooms, the most interesting is the two colors. Red and yellow are both really warm colors that have two entirely different connotations. Red is generally considered angry, and often associated with violence, which fits with the door kicked in when Tyler is on the red side. The yellow side is much calmer, with a positive, happy, calm atmosphere, demonstrated by his calm in 2:42, along with what appears to be an attempt to make up, with a semi embrace, while he holds her hand.  Throughout the rest of the video, they switch between the top two rooms, each character separate, until the end of the video when Tyler is removed by an external force. This movement is symbolic of the change between happy and arguing that happens in relationships, and the eventual departure of one party. All of these rooms represent different parts of the relationship that Tyler is presenting us, shown through specific details in each room, corresponding with the expressions and actions of each character. 

Tyler the Creator uses facial distortion to show how the both of them have changed into people they’re not. One of the most shocking features of this video, besides perhaps the lyrics, are the distorted face of each of the characters. All features are fully visible at 1:17, where the features are grossly over pronounced. On Tyler, the cheeks are sticking out a substantial amount, the eyebrows are almost definitely drawn on, and the whole face is extremely shiny. The girl is even more distorted, with extremely long eyelashes and bulbous eyes. These features are heavily distorted from normal human features. The grandiose exaggeration of these physical features points to two possibilities. The first is to show how the relationship between Salem and Tyler is superficial and limited just to the surface. It’s very plastic and just not real. The second possibility is that Tyler wants to show how much each of them has changed. By using these details, he can demonstrate that they’ve become something that they no longer recognize. The eyes that are now so big and noticeable can’t even recognize him, which could be the cause of the conflict that is shown later in the video. These specific details are purposefully used to show the radical change in each one of the characters and the morphing each person underwent during this relationship, and provide a commentary on the relationship between the two characters. 

Tyler the Creator uses the change between people and dolls combined with a change in view to show how they appear from the outside to how they really are internally. In the music video IFHY, there are multiple changes between a zoomed out freeze frame to the room by room video. Each time they zoom out and freeze, the details become much duller than the zoomed in details. The contrast is most visible in frames 3:29 and 1:17. At 3:29, details in every single room are missing. Each character is chunky and less refined than the shot at 1:17.. The close ups were filmed on a legitimate set with real people in costume, while the zoomed out shot was a doll house with clay or paper mache dolls.. The close ups were made to provide a closer look then the zoomed out shot. They quite literally provide an ‘inside’ look at the life of the two characters. The long shot shows how they look from the outside. And from the outside, they look perfectly fine, however once one takes a closer look, what one see’s at a glance isn’t necessarily what is actually happening. This switch is meant to show how important the difference in perspective can be, and to demonstrate how what looks fine from the outside can be rotten on the inside. 

IFHY shows is an amazing video, that, while at first may just appear strange and unfitting, actually ties in with the message of this song. The feelings of love and hate both expressed are toxic, and much like hot and cold, can create a destructive tornado of emotions that lead to something extreme. The use of color, different exaggerated facial features, and different shots and set pieces create a beautifully complex video with layered meanings and a very interesting visual experience that contains more than meets the eye. 