If there is one positive of the past decade, it must be the growing openness with mental health and wellbeing. Whether in the films we watch or music we listen to, there is much less of a stigma in addressing anxiety, depression, and mental health issues in general.
For most of their career, pop-rock duo Twenty One Pilots, have focussed on these themes through frontman-vocalist Tyler Joseph’s rapped/sung/sometimes screamed lyrics over Josh Dun’s powerful drumming. Since 2015’s Blurryface, they have woven these into a conceptual arc that has run through their preceding albums (2018’s Trench and Scaled and Icy in 2021).
The story takes place in the world of Trench, and the cement-walled city Dema. In Dema, Nico, an embodiment of insecurity and also known as Blurryface, controls the city and its people with a group of mystical figures known as the Nine Bishops. One citizen, Joseph, escapes the city, only to be tracked down before escaping again. He then joins a rebellion, before being captured once more and then escaping yet again.
This narrative draws to a close with the duo’s latest, Clancy, with Joseph having gained the same power of the Bishops and poised to return to Trench and free the other citizens.
Wrapping up a decade-long arc is a tough task, but the passionate Twenty One Pilots fanbase will be pleased to know that Clancy delivers. Not only that, but its energy is matched by an enthusiastic creativity.
The duo’s trademark blending of various textures, styles and sounds keep things fresh and captivating: “Overcompensate” kicks the album into gear with driving beat and pulsing bassline. “Next Semester” follows and detours through post-punk, before “Backslide” details a recurring theme of fear around relapsing to past behaviours.
Overall, Clancy succeeds in balancing finishing a narrative that will satisfy the die-hards, but also be just as fulfilling for the casual passersby. Joseph and Dun play with genre at ease, melding sounds and textures together in creative and impactful ways. Whether it’s the glitching, swelling strings of “Vignette”, or the explosive ferocity of “Navigating”, the duo ends this chapter of their music with a diverse, captivating finale. This story may have finished, but it closes with aplomb.
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