Genre-bending band from Columbus, Ohio, Twenty One Pilots, are releasing their eighth studio album “Clancy” this May on the 24th. Consisting of two members, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, the band found their fame after their 2016 album ‘Blurryface’, when their singles ‘Stressed Out’ and ‘Ride’ took the Billboard’s top tracks chart by storm. After the success of their album, the band dropped ‘Heathens’, which was featured in the ‘Suicide Squad’ movie. Beyond their spike in popularity in the late 2010s, the band has been up to a lot, and the duo continues to build anticipation for their upcoming album, even by simply the title alone.
The band’s most recent albums have been concept albums- meaning they build a story or have a “plot” to them. Starting with ‘Trench’, which came out in 2017, the songs and music videos build the world of ‘Dema’ and the plot behind it. The album not only built excitement among fans for its catchy songs, but also its storyline behind it and the engagement fans had to create their own theories about the meanings behind the songs and music videos. There was also a website where fans could see “messages” from the characters involved in the album, which also included encrypted codes and puzzle like images for them to piece together.
The following album was ‘Scaled and Icy’, taking the band’s music genre from an edgy style, to one with more of a pop influence. Despite its initial appearance, Scaled and Icy also had influences on the plotlines that Trench had started. As the lore behind the songs grew with music videos, lyrics, and hidden references, the fans connected aspects of the story to two characters- resembling the members of Twenty One Pilots. The torchbearer, who is Josh Dun, and Clancy, who is Tyler Joseph.
To say that the clique, which is what the fanbase of Twenty-One Pilots has been named, was excited after the title of the album was announced would be an understatement. Fans all around the world have been coming up with analyses, art, and theories behind the album. Even though only three singles have been officially released so far, the fans still build up anticipation for the album as the days until release count down.
So far, the three singles, ‘Overcompensate’, ‘Next Semester’, and ‘Backslide’, have surpassed a large majority of their other singles in streaming, despite only having been out for almost a month. With the first of the mentioned singles connecting more to the lore side of their music, Next Semester and Backslide both touch on heavier themes in their lyrics. Both songs connect to Tyler’s struggles with his mental health, which is a common theme in Twenty One Pilot’s music, uniting fans who have dealt with the same battles Tyler has. Each song in the album will also be released with a music video, and fans speculate that these videos will build onto the story they’ve been building over the years, or share Tyler’s story with his mental health.
Despite their success, the band still manages to stay connected to their fans, hosting five small shows- each at venues of only a few hundred people- all around the globe. The setlists of these shows consist of a range of their newer songs to some from their first self-titled album, which came out in 2009, giving a little something for every fan. The members also find ways to connect to their fans, always hosting meet and greets, finding something to talk about to their fans and being appreciative of the love their fans have for them.
As the days quickly count down to the next album, fans eagerly await what’s next for Twenty One Pilots. The many genres and themes ranging in their music create opportunities for everyone to find something they’d enjoy from the band. When ‘Clancy’ comes out, whether interested in the lore or not, you should give it a listen!
